Distributed hydrokinetic power generation for remote community applications in cold climates

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In Canada 84% of our energy for electricity, heat and transportation comes from fossil fuels; for remote communities, energy needs are mainly supplied by fossil fuels. Energy drivers---greenhouse gases that lead to climate change, peak oil, environmental emissions, long term energy security and sustainability---require our society to develop a portfolio of technologies that are cost effective in order to harness renewable energy and increase the percentage of renewable energy used in our communities. The activities proposed in this Discovery Grant renewal are directed towards developing novel technologies that are required by the marine industry to achieve lower levelized costs and to address practical requirements needed by the industry to provide sustainable communities with river and tidal hydrokinetic turbines. A new, rugged instrument will be developed to measure velocities for up to 2 years at potential river turbine sites to predict power production. This new instrument will be tested in-situ at the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Testing Center (CHTTC) and the data will be used to develop expressions to predict velocity distribution, capacity factors and cumulative distribution of water velocities (2 MSc). The CHTTC flow channel will be characterized by simultaneously measuring velocities in 2-D planes, by traversing the water column with acoustic Doppler anemometry, and by using a microstructure profiler. This will be the first time such detailed velocity and turbulence measurements are made in a high velocity river location (2 MSc). A new 1-kW deployment system for hydrokinetic river applications in cold climates will be modeled, manufactured and tested to simplify deployment and achieve turbine stability in the flow. Its purpose is to significantly decrease the levelized cost of electricity when operating year round marine turbines in sustainable communities in cold climates (1 PhD). Numerical modeling and experimental testing of Darrieus turbines at the CHTTC will be performed to understand how to optimally position turbines to maximize power production (1 PhD). The value of the proposed research program is to allow communities living in cold climates to become self-reliant and sustainable by operating hydrokinetic turbines at levelized costs that is lower than alternatives.