Category: Hydrokinetics
More on Renewable Energy Infographics
| January 8, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
I’m working on another in our series of renewable energy infographics, to present the basic concepts in a way that’s immediately understandable for newcomers to the subject. My current project is writing up “The Pros and Cons of Renewables.” The main point: all forms of energy, clean or dirty, come with a certain financial and ecological cost.
One of the main challenges associated with the migration to “new energy” is infrastructure, as unfortunately, renewable resources tend to exist far from our population centers, which requires an expensive build-out of our electrical grid. This article on Hydrokinetics in Alaska is a case in point. They have 350,000 miles of roaring rivers and tides that are incredible. Southern California, whose population is 40 times that of Alaska, is as hungry for those resources as a bear, fresh out of hibernation, fishing for a salmon.
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Renewable Energy Infographics
| January 7, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
I’m working on another in our series of renewable energy infographics, illuminating the basic concepts in a way that’s immediately understandable for people who may be new to the subject. The piece I’m writing now on “The Pros and Cons of Renewables,” points out that, while there is a lot to like about clean energy, there is no “free lunch” here; everything comes with a certain financial and ecological cost.
A point some people miss is that certain forms of renewable energy are limited in their availability. For example, where there is, for all intents and purposes, an infinite amount of solar energy, other forms, e.g., run-of river-hydro, exist only in limited supply.
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Unique Approach to High Head Hydrokinetics — Investors Needed
| October 6, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
Here’s a short video in which I discuss a unique approach that applies nicely to hydrokinetics in high head conditions, e.g., waterfalls or steep rapids.
Does this scale to the point that it can replace terawatts of fossil fuels? Nope. But in the right conditions, it’s a wonderful solution, and thus, in my opinion, the company represents an interesting investment opportunity.
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Cyclo Ocean — Clever Start-up in Ocean-Current Hydrokinetics
| October 4, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
I just got off the phone with Paul Greyschock, from hydrokinetics start-up Cyclo Ocean in Vero Beach, FL. There were a couple of items that made this conversation noteworthy. First is the technology itself. If you check out the website, you’ll see immediately that a great number of the issues that thwart most attempts at tidal or ocean-current hydro are dealt with cleverly and inexpensively. In particular, note that the device is anchored to the seabed, not moored into it. Read More
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Cool Idea in Run-of-River Hydrokinetics
| September 27, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
In this interview, I discuss a radical new approach to run-of-river hydrokinetics where the water is falling far over a short distance, e.g., a waterfall. The company’s solution is extremely straightforward and would be easy for a wily competitor to steal; it is for this reason that they play their cards very close to their vests, and have gone to an almost unimaginable extent to patent their IP internationally. Will anyone win here – besides the patent attorneys, that is? I believe so.
There are many sites around the world where this solution is perfect, and will produce totally clean power, 24/7/365 at an incredibly attractive rate in terms of levelized cost of energy (LCOE), meaning the average cost per kilowatt-hour when all factors are taken into consideration: the construction, the fuel, operations and maintenance, and decommissioning.
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Hydrokinetics Has Great Potential to Provide Clean Energy
| September 10, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
Hydrokinetics is quite an appealing subject; here’s why: huge masses of water are moving all around us more or less constantly, in our ocean tides and other predictable currents, as well as in our large rivers — and rightfully, these have been the subjects of most R&D in the arena.
Until I received a call from a fellow in Northwestern Spain the other day, I had never considered the hydrokinetic potential represented by waterfalls and steep rapids. Obviously, here’s a case where a great deal of energy is released in a concentrated space; that’s certainly a good thing. But how can one extract that energy in an inexpensive, eco-friendly, and aesthetic manner?
Well, sadly, the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) I signed prohibits me from answering that question publicly. But I am convinced that there is, in fact, a way to do it, and I encourage potential investors to write in, sign the same NDA I did, and determine for themselves if they think this thing has legs. I believe most of them will agree with me, that this idea has great potential if it’s pursued diligently and professionally.
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Hydrokinetics: Clean Energy Business Plans Based on Hydro
| August 16, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
Here’ s a short presentation on hydrokinetics, in particular, a few clean energy business plans that are based on run-of-river, ocean current, wave, tidal, ocean thermal, etc. This is of particular interest to me as I go about recommending a solution for my friends in Bermuda, which doesn’t really have the land mass to support some of the other renewable energy technolgies.
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[The Vector] Looking at Hydrokinetics: American Hydropower
| May 8, 2011 | Posted by Kathy-Heshelow under Hydrokinetics |
What’s going on in the U.S. with Hydropower?
The Departments of Energy (DOE) and the Interior announced this month, in April 2011, that $26.6 million in funding to advance hydropower technology has been designated. The studies will focus on innovative and efficient systems that reduce costs and increase renewable power generation at sites not previously considered. This fits in with finding solutions for the aggressive plan to meet 80% of U.S. energy by 2035.
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HydroWorld — Breaking News on Hydrokinetics
| December 14, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
As I’ve covered in a few of the reports published here at 2GreenEnergy, notably the “Three Brass Tacks of Renewable Energy,” I’m a partner in a company with a unique approach to run-of-river hydro called Hydrokinetic Laboratories. The company’s founder and majority owner is working hard to secure the required financing to build a prototype and take the idea forward.
In the meanwhile, I notice a great deal of exciting work being done in this space. And here’s a website, HydroWorld, whose purpose is to highlight breaking news in the arena; it’s owned by Pennwell, the folks who have so successfully supported RenewableEnergyWorld.com, one of the most professional groups to grace the clean energy industry.
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[The Vector] Harnessing the Ocean for Energy: the New Frontier?
| September 17, 2010 | Posted by Kathy-Heshelow under Hydrokinetics |
The world’s oceans are a new frontier in the renewable energy world. Ocean energy is emerging and will be ‘make or break’ in the next five years, says the firm Pike Research that focuses on research and analysis of renewable energies. “The ocean energy business is right on the cusp,” says Pike’s managing director Clint Wheelock. He says more than 300 projects and tests are in the works around the world. (Press release, Pike Research. “Ocean Energy Could Reach up to 200 Gigawatts of Power Generation by 2025.” January 19, 2010.)
A researcher at Frost and Sullivan, another market research firm, agrees. “It is projected that commercialization of wave and tidal energy will take place in the next 5-10 years as the technology evolves and production costs decline,” notes Frost’s Technical Research Associate Chin Wai Loon. “Wave and tidal energy are expected to be deployed on a commercial Read More
