Advantages and Opportunities
This project provides an opportunity to a wide range of users, given the diversity of rivers and tributaries in the United States and overseas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Large cities adjacent to rivers may use the devices to supplement power plants and augment their renewable energy portfolios. Since rivers flow continuously, they can provide baseload power instead of incremental sources like solar and wind. Remote communities are better served by this technology, since their needs are smaller and may utilize several of the generators on site. The smallest customer group, villages, and isolated populations, sometimes referred to as “last-mile” communities, may use this technology in micro-grid power systems, independent of larger power distribution systems. Regardless, the ability to utilize this perpetual source of power inland is of vital importance in today’s society and would significantly contribute to reduced fossil fuel usage.
The Charybdis river generator is most suitable for remote, micro-grid power systems where required power is relatively low, and the expense of running electrical service lines and/or transporting fuel is difficult or expensive. These fuel savings, however, are cumulatively substantial. Hydrokinetic systems, unlike solar or wind, are continuous power producers regardless of weather or time of day. In fact, they would most likely produce more power during adverse weather, accompanied by increased rainfall and resultant river flow.
For example, using a nominal output of 5 kW for a 24-hour period, this is equivalent to approximately 18 to 24 gallons of gasoline for a similarly sized generator. This translates into between 6,570 to 8,760 gallons of gasoline per year, not including the fuel required to transport the gasoline to the remote location. An array of hydro generators producing 20 to 40 kW would save the equivalent of between 40 and 96 gallons of diesel per day, from 14,600 to 35,040 gallons per year.
Value Proposition
There are few incumbents in the river power field besides large dams and run of river (ROR) sites. One such device is mounted on a pontoon and submerges in the flow so that a large, rigid cross flow turbine blade may rotate, but it is deployed in debris-free rivers or tidal flows. Other types use debris screens, yet these constantly require clearing and are vulnerable to increased debris during storm events, leading to occasional catastrophic loss and long power production downtimes. The approach of competing technologies is to base designs on existing tidal devices where very little debris is present and try to make it debris-resistant to the vexation of power production.
Our approach to is to design debris-shirking devices with increased power production and reliability. Our technology provides a compelling economic value given:
• Resilience to floating debris leading to longer mean times between failures (MTBF)
• Simplified moorings since they are based on the surface and only need access to both river banks
• Maintenance does not require boats, the device can be recovered to the shore via the mooring
• Reduced price of electricity as heavy equipment and skilled technicians not required for operation
• Provides baseload power so no solar, wind, or petroleum based back generators required
• May be deployed as an array to multiply power production and increase redundancy
• Reduced transportation due to small form factor, removeable blades, minimal mooring components