2022 - Volume #46, Issue #5, Page #29
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Water Turbine Works 24 Hrs. A Day
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While doing graduate engineering work, Blanchet became interested in vertical axis wind turbines. “I used what I learned about the aerodynamics of wind turbines, metals, electronics, and Ikea to develop an easy-to-assemble system using a hex wrench that’s shippable anywhere in the world,” Blanchet says. “All it needs for operation is running water.”
From this idea, Blanchet now runs Idénergie (from the words “idea” and “energy”), a power electronics company headquartered in Montreal. The company’s hydrokinetic water turbine can work 24 hrs. a day to supply up to 12 kWh/day of free electricity. That’s enough to supply a cabin or small house. Plus, adding more power is as easy as adding more water turbines.
Each rugged system is made with a generator sandwiched between two environmentally friendly metal turbines. The generator is smart and can adjust itself for optimal output. It’s sealed tight, waterproof, and virtually maintenance-free, designed without penetrating shafts from the turbine to the generator.
The water turbine system works best where flow rates are about 1.5 to 2 meters per second (5 to 6.5 FPS) and when the unit is completely submerged. Its design helps keep debris away and it’ll work in some icy conditions, but not in a totally frozen river. It can be assembled quickly, anchored, and set in the water by two people.
The turbine connects to batteries which then connect to an inverter for AC power. It can also connect to Idénergie’s hybrid inverter, another game-changing product. The inverter is a whole house energy management system that controls energy inputs from solar panels, generators, and the grid. It controls energy outputs to optimize usage and can provide additional battery backup.
Like most businesses today, Idénergie is facing opportunities and challenges. Blanchet says, “The war in Ukraine has created a lot of interest in our turbines while at the same time the manufacturing materials normally produced by Ukraine are in short supply.” This has put a temporary hold on producing the water turbine. So, the company is using this opportunity to develop the next generation product which will be available in a year or so and sell for about $3,500.
Blanchet says Idénergie’s water turbines and other energy-smart innovations are giving us interesting new ways to power our future.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Idénergie Inc., 107 Louvain Quest, 8340 rue Labarre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4P 2E7 (ph 855-654-7777; info@idenergie.ca; www.idenergie.ca/en).
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