Commercial Hydrokinetic Power Plants

Are there any commercial hydrokinetic plants?

With close to 50 permits for ocean, wave and tidal projects, and 40 river permits that have been issued there are still only a few commercial hydrokinetic plants in place since the permits only allow for study and research of the proposed area to be developed. This world’s first six successful energy generating underwater turbines were installed in New York’s East River in 2007 which were able to power a parking garage and small store. The only known operating river hydrokinetic source is in Minnesota but is used for research purposes, along with a heave surge device the size of a football field known as the Pelamis Wave Energy Convertor, which has successfully generated electricity into the Portuguese grid off the coast of Agucuadoura.

What are the benefits of hydrokinetics?

Hydrokinetics involves an untapped natural resource that potentially yields an infinite amount of energy over an extended period of time. Due to the cost of creating devices capable of harnessing and producing large quantities of energy, there are only a few working devices in the world, but estimates by the Electric Power Research Institute say that if current energy resources were rechanneled to hydrokinetic power, there is easily the potential to produce 50 Gigawatts of power. This is equal to almost 10% of total U.S. energy consumed per year, and with more resources being put into the field, could easily be doubled. Since hydrokinetics is possibly the most environmentally friendly renewable energy resource available and has a high efficiency rate of energy production it has a large potential to become the future of our energy resources