On the part of tidal energy of the USA inferior and South Korea, and France, i.e. any country where the state is an active player on the energy market. The reasons are clear: without government intervention expensive project is hardly possible, and private banks do not like to give billions under unknown technology. But if you start little by little, I hope in the Ocean Renewable Power Company, to catch up with the leaders tidal energy still can.

In fact, we have the same modified rotor Daria, that in the Russian orthogonal turbines type og-5. Only here the design lies on one side, and should not vertically. (Illustration ORPC.)

Savinskaya PES (South Korea), built in 2003-2011, produces 550 million kWh per year, with the capacity of 254 MW. The station has demonstrated such impressive results that the government intended to Finance the construction of three more PES with a total capacity of 2.2 GW (1.5 GW by 2015). At the same time, tidal resources of the USA and the same South Korea absolutely incomparable. What is wrong with US? The answer is simple: Savinskaya PES was worth $1 billion, and in power engineering of the USA is represented mainly by private business. To invest in an unprecedented States (where until this September PES was not at all the idea billion within the private economy is very difficult. So even 3-4 cents cost per kilowatt-hour (in two times cheaper than the norm!) not convince the local power engineers in the feasibility PES.

That is why the Ocean Renewable Power from Portland (USA) began with small, running on the coast of Maine Cobscook Bay Tidal Project ("Tidal project Strait Cobscook"). The place is noteworthy that even in the 1930s, during the new deal, there was planned the construction of PES Quoddy Dam. The project is very promising - ruined what he was supported by President Roosevelt, and in the then Congress the power gained Republicans blocked the financing of the good initiatives. Colossal dam Quoddy Dam has been criticized by Republicans in the same style as the Hoover dam (Hoover Dam), saying that poorly combined with private initiative and competition environment.

In the new project not so disastrous for the American spirit of things: turbines installed singly (anchor) on the bottom of the Strait of Cobscook. The capacity of each TidGen - only 180 kW, and annual output is sufficient to ensure 25-30 households. The size of the turbine too modest: 14 x 3,3 x 4.2 m (W x D X In) and weighs 50 tons (together with a mini-platform). Such a small weight is partly explained by the use of fiberglass blades:

While established only one turbine; at the end of 2013 will be entered in build two more. The company, in its opinion, there is something to be proud of: it is the first turbine, generating electricity from tidal without dams. Dam (key word for cyclopean HPP Korea and France - the main absorber of capex PES; suffice it to say that in Savinskoi PES its length was modest 12.7 km, and the cost exceeded 60% of the total construction costs. TidGen not need it, because it's something like put sideways vertical wind turbine, only acting under the water, where the density is much higher, and perpendicular to the tidal stream, and not along it, as a regular axial turbines.



And yet disappoint American power engineers, at least partly. Orthogonal tidal turbines, capable, as an American, to work in two directions, and even without the dam, there are long. More than six years they operate on Kislogubskaya PES (the stated capacity of 1.7 MW). That's only in Russian projects from reinforced concrete structures (not solid) still do not refuse, for with single bottom arrangement of turbines to fully harness the energy of tidal stream cannot: he will wrap around it on the sides and top. Hence a small tidal power turbine TidGen, as well as relatively smaller (alas, not disclosed) the costs of their commissioning.

Well, time will tell which approach is more promising. But note that they, apparently, different areas of potential applications. Large PES orthogonal turbines generate more than 100 Gigawatt peak power (see project Penzhina PES up to 22-24% of all-Russian annual generation), but for this they need not only the dam, but also a high tide in the construction site.

TidGen requires only a high velocity of the water flow at the bottom and can be installed even at the points where the tide is low: powerful enough deep currents. And not all need power plants of 100 GW. Well, however, that half a century was in hibernation large and small tidal energy is actively leading the attack on both fronts and, doubling in 2011 total capacity, plans to quadruple achieved in the coming years.

Based on the materials of Ocean Renewable Power Company.