US rivers to generate electricity

A start-up hydrokinetics company hopes to harvest around 2Gw (2,000Mw) by planting hundreds of turbines in US rivers.

Free Flow Power is targeting the Mississippi river with its turbines, which generate roughly 10Kw of power each.

The turbine installations, which measure 6x6 metres, can be placed along rivers with a flow of as little as two metres per second. Potential sites include the struts of bridges, says the company.

The company will have two divisions. A project development arm will install hydrokinetic power plants and sell the electricity that it produces, while a manufacturing arm will create turbines both for the company’s own projects, and for those of other energy project developers.

The initial capital expenditure for turbine installation will be $2,000 (£1,000) per kilowatt, said chief executive Daniel Irving, who expects to provide electricity at an average cost of 8c (4p) per kilowatt hour to customers.

“In the longer term, we want to make 50,000 or more turbines per year – that’s in about 10 years’ time,” he said. “In five years’ time, we expect to produce at least 20,000 per year.”

Free Flow Power has earmarked enough sites across the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers to provide 3Gw of power, but Irving expects to lose up to a third of the theoretical capacity following more detailed site evaluations.

“We may conflict with dredging operations,” he said. “The water may not be deep enough, there may not be enough flow, or there may be environmental issues.”

The company also faces regulatory challenges. It has initial permit applications in with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but the whole process (which includes negotiations with nine federal government agencies, and with state agencies and environmental groups) means that it will be five years before the turbines are commercially deployed, said Irvine.

The project could nevertheless produce energy for well over 1,500 US homes while creating minimal disruption on US rivers, he said, adding that the company has 80,000 potential US sites in its database.