Verdant Power, Inc.
IndustryTidal Power Systems
Founded2000; 24 years ago (2000)
Headquarters
New York, NY
,
USA
Websitewww.verdantpower.com
Footnotes / references
Company Profile by Insideview

Verdant Power, Inc is a maker and installer of tidal power and hydroelectric systems. Their primary device is an underwater turbine, similar to a three-bladed wind turbine, that is designed to capture energy from tidal currents and (precipitation-driven) river currents. The company uses the trade term "kinetic hydropower" to distinguish their systems from those (tidal and hydroelectric) based on dam construction. The company's first project, the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project, is several turbines in New York City's East River.

Location

Verdant's home base is situated between Manhattan and Queens on Roosevelt Island in the middle of the East River, a tidal strait running from Long Island Sound to Upper New York Bay.[1]

RITE Project

A large crane on a barge, about to lift the triangular metal frame supporting 3 turbines
Installation of three Verdant Power 35kW turbines on a tri-frame base, on 22 October 2020

The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, owned by Verdant Power, is the first tidal energy project to be issued a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).[2] The project is located to the east of Roosevelt Island in the East River, with the southernmost turbine approximately 100 metres (330 ft) north of the Roosevelt Island Bridge.[3]

The first of three phases of the project was prototype testing from 2002 until 2006 when the phase 2 demonstration began. The first two prototypes were installed in late 2006 and early in 2007, although these were not fully successful.[4]

In May 2007, six full-scale tidal turbines were installed on the river bed, in three rows approximately 100 feet (30 m) apart, five of which were fitted with a 35 kW generator.[5] This constituted the "world's first operation of a grid-connected tidal turbine array".[6] They provided power for a Gristedes supermarket and the adjacent Motorgate parking garage on Roosevelt Island.[7] This test concluded in October 2008, having generated around 50 MWh of electricity.[5]

In February 2012 the federal government announced an agreement with Verdant Power to install 30 tidal turbines in the channel, then projected to begin operations in 2015 and produce 1.05 MW of power.[8] There were problems with turbine blade degradation. A September 2012 test of a newly designed 16-feet diameter turbine was a success, and the company estimated it will take about 5 years to complete the array of 30 turbines in the river.[7] In August 2013, CBS News reported that Verdant planned to put "two more turbines in the river over the next year or two and build up from there".[1]

A "TriFrame" platform with three 70 kW fifth generation (Gen5) turbines was installed in October 2020, providing power to Con Edison's local grid.[9][10] After six months, one of the turbines was replaced with a new Gen5 turbine with thermoplastic blades developed by NREL.[11] EMEC conducted an assessment of the turbines following the relevant International Electrotechnical Commission standard, "62600-200: Electricity producing tidal energy converters – power performance assessment".[12]

Morlais project

In a joint venture between with Duggan Energy, named Verdant Isles, there are plans to deploy grid-connected turbines at the Morlais site in northwest Wales. Verdant Isles was awarded a contract in September 2023 to supply electricity to the GB grid, which will form phase one of the project, with 4.9 MW to be commissioned by 2027/28.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b Powering the Future Underwater turbines harness river power - CBS News 7 August 2013
  2. ^ FERC News Release FERC Issues First Pilot License for Tidal Power Project in New York
  3. ^ Li, Ye; Colby, Jonathan A; Kelly, Neil; Thresher, Robert; Jonkman, Bonnie; Hughes, Scott (June 6–11, 2010). Inflow Measurement in a Tidal Strait for Deploying Tidal Current Turbines: Lessons, Opportunities and Challenges. ASME 2010 29th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, Shanghai, China. Vol. 3. pp. 569–576. doi:10.1115/OMAE2010-20911 – via ASME.
  4. ^ Shulman, Robin (September 20, 2008). "N.Y. Tests Turbines to Produce Power". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  5. ^ a b "Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project, New York". Power Technology. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  6. ^ "The RITE Project". Verdant Power. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  7. ^ a b McGeehan, Patrick (2012-09-11). "In Quest for River's Power, an Underwater Test Spin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  8. ^ "Turbines Off NYC East River Will Create Enough Energy to Power 9,500 Homes". U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  9. ^ "3 Tidal Turbines Pop Into New York City's East River". CleanTechnica. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  10. ^ Coleman, LeRoy (2022-06-06). "Marine Energy Innovation: Insights from Verdant Power". National Hydropower Association. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  11. ^ "A Milestone for Tidal Energy: Verdant Power Successfully Retrieves a Test Turbine After Six Months of Continuous Operation in New York". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  12. ^ "A world's first for EMEC and Verdant Power". International Water Power. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  13. ^ Smith, Glenn (25 October 2023). Tidal showcase – the path to pilot farms. Verdant Isles – Morlais Project. Ocean Energy Europe, The Hauge.
  14. ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 5: results". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-11-26.

External links

Categories