The Ottawa-based Waterotor Energy Technologies Inc., the first in the world to harvest electrical energy from slow-moving water, is supplying the Canadian Navy with green charging stations as a potential power solution for its essential equipment.
Waterotor CEO, Fred Ferguson, and his team of engineers, invented and developed a patented hydrokinetic' technology, which cost-effectively generates electricity from slow moving water, as slowly as three to nine kilometres per hour, which is better than any known hydrokinetic alternative in the world.
The Waterotor power generators have been proven to extract energy from rivers, ocean currents, and tidal flows at the average cost of $5-10 cents per kWh -- compared to $17.4 cents, the average 2020 price in residential Canada (energyhub.org), and $18.7 cents (or $14 cents US), the average price worldwide (ovoenergy.com).
As part of the Navy's commitment to environmental sustainability, Waterotor units will be used as a demonstration in replacing expensive and polluting diesel and gasoline generators.
The units are intended to reduce the Navy's reliance on fossil fuel typically needed for back-up and isolated power requirements including tele-communications and remote sensor equipment, electric boat motors, lighting, batteries, cell phones, flashlights, and combat gear, for example.
"This is a new era of green energy technology with the invention of the Waterotor rolling drum type of rotor design that motion extracts a high percentage of energy even from very slow moving water producing torque to create electricity," said Mr. Ferguson. "Waterotor generators do not consume fuel, or generate gas emissions during operation, or hurt fish or wildlife so they have an exceptionally low ecological impact. The turbine rotates continuously in submerged water and requires no more than a water speed of two miles per hour."
A major advantage for the Royal Canadian Navy is Waterotor's potential to provide Defence Units with an emergency power source in the event of a widespread power outage or disaster, or as a deployable solution for humanitarian assistance.
"Accessible and affordable electricity is a serious global problem in 2020 for 789 million people without electricity, and according to the World Bank and other sources for over 6 billion people; eighty-five per cent of the global population depend on expensive, polluting fossil-fuel generators for their power," added Mr. Ferguson. "However, over seventy-one per cent of the planet is covered with slowly moving water in rivers, canals, and ocean currents - a clean, reliable, available -- but untapped source of power. Wind and solar power cannot run 24/7 as reliably as a slow-moving stream and is much more expensive."
Unlike conventional propeller turbines that require water flow speeds of over six and a half miles per hour, and are damaging to the environment, the Waterotor turbine is inexpensive, robust, easily installed, and safe for all marine life.
The technology was validated over the last several years in collaboration with Memorial University's Marine Institute in St. John's, and the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The National Capital Region has provided a fertile testing ground to demonstrate Waterotor's performance in all four seasons of extreme weather.
Discussions with a variety of global markets are underway with Waterotor as a veritable source of clean, affordable power, including Energisa (Brazil), ENEL (Italy), and entities in the Philippines, Indonesia, Albania, Kurdistan, and Africa.
The Royal Canadian Navy contracted the purchase of the Waterotor units, valued at approximately $1 million, through Innovative Solutions Canada, a federal initiative which helps Canadian companies like Waterotor Energy Technologies Inc. move their unique, verified technology from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Video of turbine testing site in Manitoba by Waterotor Energy Technologies Inc. in link below
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U_kHJb_NXZ0HRbQhxnSpcY_kvC-v_JEW/view?usp=sharing
Contact:
Kathryn Hendrick
khendrick@gbagroup.ca
(416) 277-6281
