Westergaard Solutions

HydroMINE is a disruptive and elegantly simple modular system with a relatively small internal propeller driven by pressure from a stationary hydrofoil structure to a separate, internal flow stream. The internal propeller drives an ordinary electric direct drive generator. The size of the stationary HydroMINE hydrofoil structure is comparable to an equivalent ordinary rotor of the same swept area producing a similar amount of energy. The external floating structure is passive, only yawing slowly with the ocean tide or river flow direction. The internal propeller is isolated from debris and wildlife, so HydroMINE is safe for the marine environment, and extremely robust. It has a low maintenance cost, resulting in a lower cost of energy. It is manufactured with steel plates with the existing supply chain and integrates easily with ordinary marine structures for flexible deployments. The design is scalable from a community size (kW) to utility level (multi-MW), making HydroMINE immediately commercially relevant.

Hydrokinetic energy is an abundant renewable energy source that presents unique opportunities and benefits.