INTEGRATED CURRENT-WAVE HYDROKINETIC ENERGY HARVESTER FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND BENEFITS TO AQUATIC FAUNA

Vortex Hydro Power LLC (VHP) will design, build and conduct preliminary testing of a versatile, small-scale, non-turbine, Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) Converter capable of harnessing energy from rivers, ocean currents, tides, and waves. Where turbines cannot be used due to space constraints, location, or where they may cause disruption to water use or sensitive marine mammals, or fish migrations, this MHK converter serves to provide a scalable hydrokinetic energy option beneficial to communities and the environment. This unique device, named VIVACE-W, addresses the diverse needs of powering the blue economy and is based on technology previously funded by DoE, the VIVACE current Converter, which is proven to be beneficial to fish. VHP will scale up the matured design specifically to provide energy to a public building, construct a prototype, and install the unit in slow flow in the Detroit River at the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA), our community partner.