The world faces a future clouded by shortfalls in energy. Forward thinking energy companies stand to reap significant benefits from our technology’s ability to capture constant grid-compatible power from continuously flowing water. River turbines present a viable and sensible alternative to current energy production. Water energy is abundant and renewable –and it’s cleaner and more efficient than coal and natural gas. Rivers flow continuously in one direction, so energy production can be ongoing, delivering a constant and plen
tiful supply of electricity. While there are several competing turbine technology options in development, most use wind-derived turbine designs that are not water friendly. DDMotion’s novel technology uses a specially designed waterwheel with a hatch control to harness renewable energy from free flowing rivers, providing a powerful source of constant, grid-compatible power.
How the DDMotion turbine works
DDMotion water turbine technology is entirely mechanical, making it simple and economical to construct, efficient to operate, and highly scalable. It has a small diameter waterwheel with fixed pitched blades. Unlike the power converters used by wind turbines, our turbine uses a DDMotion developed mechanical speed converter and a constant speed generator. The DDMotion turbine has a patented hatch (controlled by a Transgear™ gear assembly, the core component of our infinitely-variable motion control technology) that controls the amount of water flow into the waterwheel. A secondary control refines the harnessed rotational speed (rpm) of the waterwheel. The rotational energy is transferred to a constant speed generator to deliver a consistent flow of grid-compatible power. The DDMotion turbine is environmentally friendly. It is mounted on a platform and submerged underwater with protectors against floating river debris. River traffic can proceed uninterrupted, and fish can swim freely. There are no dams required.
The turbine’s technological advantages
The motion control technology used by the DDMotion River turbine offers several benefits over current turbine designs.
- The speed converter transforms the variable input speed from the river into a c
onstant output speed. There is no need for clutches, belts, pulleys or hydraulics, and power grooming is eliminated, resulting in significant cost savings. - The DDMotion turbine does not require a dam to harness potential energy. This reduces construction costs, saves time and resources, and reduces land use. River traffic and fish can proceed freely, and there is no harm to the environment.
- In flood or drought conditions, the hatch controls input flow rate so that the waterwheel rotates at a constant speed, generating clean usable power.
- A DDMotion river farm equipped with a cluster of turbines can generate as much electricity as Alta, America’s largest wind farm, with one-tenth of the construction costs.
- Most water turbines use electronically controlled power converters that burn out when power input is high, are limited to low power kilowatt ranges and do not allow for scalability. The DDMotion speed converter can accommodate megawatt ranges and is highly reliable.
U.S. Average Levelized Cost of Electricity by Source
Total US Cost Over 2012-2040 vs implementing Hydrokinetics
