The Department of Energy is helping to fund 11 projects that are designed to harness the power of moving water
The Department of Energy is looking to tap that resource through its funding of 11 projects designed to harness the power of moving water in rivers and ocean tidal currents.
Still, the design and control of underwater turbines needed to convert energy into electricity is in the experimental stage. Cost, for one, is a factor — it remains far too expensive for commercial use. That makes it a prime candidate for DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy , whose mission is “changing what’s possible” by taking risks.
Several other experimental turbines function like kites. One is called the Manta, inspired by the way a manta ray swims. It was developed by SRI International, a nonprofit scientific research institute in Menlo Park, Calif., with help from the University of California, Berkeley. Michael Lawson, group manager of water power research and development at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said it is working with four SHARK projects using a computer model that can help predict the performance of underwater turbines based on data previously obtained from wind turbines.
Small communities, Lawson pointed out, frequently rely on diesel generators, which are often expensive and subsidized by the state or federal government. Supporters say underwater turbines could prove to be both cleaner and cheaper.
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