Hydrokinetic Energy Harvestingin Constructed Waterways

There is a nexus between energy, water, and population. Water is one of civilization’s fundamental deliverables, and is channeled into canals across much of the planet. The planetary water cycle is also accelerating due to the rise in global temperature, putting more water faster into many watersheds. This presents a unique opportunity to generate industrial-scale power within this nexus, while being environmentally benign, and while using existing infrastructure. Canal authorities in America and worldwide have an inherent interest in generating power from slow-moving water on their canal systems, because major benefits accrue to water districts that have been able to develop electrical power. Hydropower generation within water districts provides revenue and jobs primarily in rural areas, while providing power to the national grid. However, there are serious impediments to this development, such as massive civil works, environmental impacts, costs, and regulation. Consequently, most districts opt not to develop their resources. The principle of suction-augmentation represents a transformative approach to efficiently, economically, and sustainably developing this new energy resource. Success of this SBIR project could establish a new energy industry that harvests the vast kinetic energy in civilization’s waterway networks, an untapped segment of the blue economy. In this Phase II research, a newly invented hydrokinetic turbine, which targets the slow and narrow channels of waterways, will be tested and validated to optimize its ability to harvest this energy. The research will consist of flume testing, numerical studies, and a demonstration project. Potential public benefits are many. Deriving income through more effectively exploiting the power potential of these constructed waterway systems will allow districts to invest to save water, improve water quality, conserve and improve habitat, protect species, improve waterway and related infrastructure, and better serve the needs of irrigators, which include the need for power for pumps. This will create jobs, support local agricultural economies, while also offering the potential for providing a large volume of carbon-free base load power to the grid.