First Fully Licensed, US Hydrokinetic Power Project Underway In Hastings Minnesota
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 01. 8.09
Site of City of Hastings, MN owned and operated, 4.4-MW hydropower project at USAE Lock & Dam No. 2
Image credit:Hydro Green Energy, excerpted
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued its first full license for an in-stream hydro-kinetic power project. The project will be located on the Mississippi River, in the output channel of a hydro-power dam operated by the City of Hastings, Minnesota (as pictured). Via:FM Link, Facilities Management News, FERC approves first in-stream hydrokinetic project
Hydro Green Energy will provide two, 100kW turbines, giving a 70-kilowatt boost in to a pre-existing 4.4-megawatt Mississippi River hydro-power facility. Hence, the permit is really an amendment to the existing license. Details are presented below.
Below is a shot of one of the two turbines, as assembled (in the USA), during the fall of 2008.
Image credit:Hydro Green Energy, pdf file
The two turbines will be suspended from a barge, which is cable held in the tail water of an existing dam. The turbines will drive their respective generators, which are mounted atop the barge. A license requirement, should adverse environmental impacts occur, is for the city to modify operations or remove the turbines or generator barge.
FERC outlines the hydro-kinetic facility permitting process here.
Because this will the the first such operating facility, it will be scrutinized for impacts, on spawning fish particularly. The important native species include the shovelnose sturgeon, paddlefish, walleye, and sauger. (They can chop up all the asian carp they want to and people will cheer.)
Previous TreeHugger coverage of hydrokinetic or "run of river" projects.
Hydro Green Energy Plans Two, 70-megawatt, Current-Based ...
Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Stakes US FERC Claim For Billions Worth ...
1000 Megawatts of Run-of-River Hydro on Tap for British Columbia ....
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70 KW? WOW!!
That's a whopping $7/hr. How many centuries will it take to get an EROI back on that?
==== author's reponse follows ====
The dam and fixtures are already in place - at no expense. The river flows 24/7 and unlike solar or wind power is a steady consistent provider of electricity.
Keep in mind that this is a prototype application.
OK, so how do two 100 kw turbines provide a 70 kw boost? Is there some reason they will be at 35% of capacity?
each turbine has a "nameplate" capacity of 100 kW. that means they will generate 100 kW in an ideal setting. hastings is not ideal from a flow standpoint, thus less power output. it's all about water velocity.
we will probably generate around 50 kW per unit based on the final location of the units downstream from the dam. the cP is .62, highest water-to-wire efficiency rating in the industry. the capacity factor is about 80%, or more than double (almost triple) that of wind and solar. at open-river projects, our CF will be around 98%, which is baseload power.
this project cost the city $0 and it will keep half of the power sales from the devices. as for hydro green, we demonstrate the technology, get the first commercial device ever in the water and take a lead in the industry, which has set us up for an exciting 2009. rather straightforward. thanks for the interest.
Let see, you have 2000 tons of water entering at 15 mph, and 2000 tons leaving at 15 mph ... Hmmm ... according to basic science and accelerated mass you have quite a loss there. I guess Tesla missed something ...
Thanks for signing in, Tim Gard. Now you can comment. Sorry if this is a repeat ...
Let see. 2000 tons of water enters at 15 mph, and 2000 tons of water leaves at 15 mph, based on accelerated mass this system kind a missises an opportunity seeing mass in motion has energy. I guess Tesla kind a missed something, did he not?