Hello group. Attached is a link to an article about a Scottish company that is planning to build tidal and run-of-river turbines, some apparently on a micro-hydro scale. The company is currently involved in producing a small, residential scale, roof-mounted wind turbines with a rated capacity of about 1.5 kW. The wind turbine is supposed to be commercially available on the mass market this fall. I have seen some skepticism expressed about the output claim for the wind turbine (based on its roof-mounted deployment) but it is an interesting concept. It is supposed to produce AC power so that it can be plugged into the average house without the need of an inverter. Assuming the company is successful with its wind turbine, this might bode well for its success with micro-hydro turbines. According to the article, prototypes of the tidal and river generators might be ready in one year, with commercial production in about three years. At any rate, this might be a development worth following. With its apparent focus on small scale units for use on individual homes, if the company can design and mass produce micro hydro units, the cost might be low enough to be within reach of at least some people or communities with limited financial resources. As an aside, I think the article has a misprint: it should probably have said the larger turbines (in combination or barrages, I would assume) will produce 500 megawatts, not 500 kilowatts; I don't know how you could service 50,000 homes with 500 kW. Here is the link:
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/printer_friendly.cfm?aid =5930606 In case anyone is interesting in learning something about the company and its current activities, here is a link to its wind turbine site: http://www.hie.co.uk/swift-rooftop-wind-energy-system.pdf [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Does your company feature in the microhydro business directory at http://microhydropower.net/directory ? If not, please register free of charge and be exposed to the microhydro community world wide! NOTE: The advertisements in this email are added by Yahoogroups who provides us with free email group services. The microhydro-group does not endorse products or support the advertisements in any way. More information on micro hydropower at http://microhydropower.net To unsubscribe: send empty message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/microhydro/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
