First Commercial Hydrokinetic Power Turbine in US Installed in Minnesota
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 01. 8.09
Early rendering of Hydro Green Energy’s hydrokinetic power turbines. Unlike other underwater turbine designs, these are suspended from a raft rather than mounted on the river bed. Image: Hydro Green Energy
Though most of the the time when you mention an underwater power turbine your mind probably goes to something installed in a tidal area, rather than in a body of fresh water, if the current is strong enough a river will do just fine. Ontario installed something broadly similar back in April (moving water of the river generates power...) of last year in fresh water, now Minnesota is getting in on the hydrokinetic power turbine act. Here are the details:
Turbines Installed at Existing Hydroelectric Site
Hydro Green Energy has installed the first of two planned hydrokinetic power turbines downstream from an existing 4.4 MW run-of-river hydroelectric project on Army Corps of Engineers’ Lock & Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. Hydro Green is claiming that it is the first commercial hydrokinetic project in the United States.
The city of Hastings will operate the turbines, the second of which is planned to be installed in spring 2009, which when fully operational will have a rated capacity of 250 kilowatts each.
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