In 2021, an NREL team placed three data-gathering moorings in one of the most energetic Have been working hard to understand the most effective way to harness this immense source of clean, renewable
Capable of producing more than 20 times the energy needed in all road-connectedĬommunities in the state of Alaska, “it” is Alaska’s Cook Inlet. It climbs 25 feet up and down the shoreline. Recyclable material and move the technology closer to commercial adoption.Īlaska’s Cook Inlet Could Power the Entire State With Renewable Energy This data can help build confidence in this new, lower-cost, To conduct further structural testing to quantify how well each blade type-thermoplasticĪnd epoxy-performed. Original epoxy blades and showed no signs of structural damage. Researchers retrieved their blades, which had produced just as much energy as the In May 2021, the Verdant Power team replaced three epoxy turbine blades with NREL’s near-identical thermoplastic blades. Blades made from the new material,Ĭalled thermoplastic resin, could be recycled or reused once their turn in the tidal But at NREL’s Composites Manufacturing Education and Technologyįacility, researchers produced a new type of composite material that can harden when cooled and resoften when heated. Most turbine blades are made from an epoxy, which, once set, cannot be meltedĭown and recycled. record for marine energy production.īut in 2021, NREL’s novel turbine replaced Verdant Power’s to take a spin on theirĭevice. During their first six months in the water, the tidal turbines generatedĪlmost 200 megawatt-hours of energy-enough to power about 250 homes per month andĪ U.S. Like mini, underwater wind turbines, which spin and generate energy as tides rush The so-called TriFrame mount submerges three turbines, each with three blades, In October 2020, Verdant Power installed their novel tidal energy device in the East
Past year, the technology that currently harnesses tidal energy in New York City’sĮast River just got a bit more sustainable, thanks, in part, to a team of NREL researchers. Near the “City that Never Sleeps” (which, by implication, needs power all night long),Ī river has been providing a clean, sustainable way to keep things running.
Photo from Paul Komosinski, Drone Altitude LLC Turbine, which could be recycled or reused and was developed at NREL. In 2021, Verdant Power swapped their tough, epoxy tidal turbine for a novel thermoplastic We are featuringġ0 of this year’s projects, which represent just a few of the laboratory’s promising accomplishments from our world-class researchers.Ī More Sustainable, Resilient Tidal Turbine Plunges Into New York City’s East River Vast water power resources, building the next generation of water power innovators,Īnd helping design more productive, environmentally friendly hydropower. Our water power researchers are upgrading marine energy technology, mapping the country’s Industries, and coastal communities that increasingly depend on cleaner, more affordable “Our researchersĪre enabling the country’s rivers and seas to satisfy key sustainable energy needsĪnd become sources of low-cost, sustainable energy for the U.S. hydropowerįleet and burgeoning marine energy industry, to be the keystone of our renewable energyįuture,” said NREL Water Power Laboratory Program Manager Al LiVecchi. “This critical work will help prepare water power, including the evolving U.S. Tides, currents, and temperature changes-from the lab to the water and, finally, to Today, NREL’s experts are studying water power to help modernize hydropowerĪnd guide marine energy-a younger form of energy generated from ocean and river waves, Oceans to rushing rivers, flowing waters are a constant and bountiful source of renewableĮnergy. Hard to advance water power, a clean, carbon-pollution-free energy source. Over the last year, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers worked
0 kommentar(er)
