by jbs082809h3 — August 31, 2009—The first federally licensed in-stream hydrokinetic power project in the U.S. began operating commercially on August 20, 2009 on the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. Hydrokinetic projects produce power from moving water without the use of a dam, and they include wave energy systems and in-stream turbines, which can capture the energy from tidal flows or the flow of a river, explains the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The Hastings project, an in-stream turbine from Hydro Green Energy, captures the flow from the output channel of an existing hydropower dam.
The turbine, anchored downstream from the dam on a tethered barge, has a nameplate capacity of 100 kilowatts, and an expected output of about 35 kilowatts. After approval of the project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last December, the turbine was installed on the barge and has been undergoing testing since mid-February, including evaluation of the turbine’s impact on fish in the river. A second turbine with increased power and efficiency is slated to come online in spring 2010.
EERE says hydrokinetic power is also making waves in Maine, which has become the first East Coast state to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FERC relating to the energy source. Maine agreed on August 19 to coordinate with FERC on tidal power projects off its coast. Maine will support FERC’s procedures for a short-term license for experimental pilot projects. FERC and Maine will also notify each other of proposed tidal energy projects and will work together to identify potential issues and to set a schedule to process permit applications. FERC had previously signed similar hydrokinetic agreements with the states of Oregon and Washington.
