60kW turbine turns kinetic energy to electric
An Irish renewables company has completed the deployment and testing of its 60kW (DPR60) turbine which will convert kinetic energy within rivers, estuaries and tidal flows into clean, predictable electrical power.
DesignPro Renewables tested the turbine at Kirkwall in Scotland’s Orkney Islands in conjunction with Leask Marine Ltd, which designed and built the turbine, suitable for deployment in sheltered water with mean wave heights of 1m.
The device is a floating platform with turbines underwater and is deployed via a mooring system, which can be tailored for either a unidirectional or bidirectional flow. During testing, the DPR60 turbines rotated at a maximum of 15rpm.
“We are really excited to have performance data from our largest model yet, the 60kW, now ready for a longer-term, commercial deployment,” said Roisin Mc Cormack, sales and marketing manager at DesignPro Renewables, which is developing and demonstrating 25kW and 60kW turbines and being supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 fund.
Working with Mitsubishi Electric and Ario, DesignPro Renewables have developed a maximum power point tracking system that ensures the turbines are operating at maximum efficiency in all flow speeds up to the rated output of 60kW.
The turbines self-start at a flow speed of 0.6 m/s. They can be deployed as a grid connected system fitted with inverters outputting three phase grid compatible power. They can also be supplied as an autonomous unit to charge batteries or supply power to off grid hybrid systems. Remote SCADA systems allow tracking of power production and alarm conditions.
By Rebecca Jeffrey
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