Gulf Stream Turbines
Gulf Stream Turbines LLC is start up company that is trying to create a renewable energy source using the Gulf Stream current. The Gulf Stream, which is produced by the earth’s rotation, contains an enormous amount hydrokinetic energy. To tap into this immense source of renewable energy to produce electricity Gulf Stream Turbines plan on creating submersible power plants that can operate for extremely long periods without servicing. The Gulf Stream Turbine can do this because of its failure-proof design that depends on the laws of physics and has few moving parts.
Technology
The Gulf Stream Turbine relies on the relative locations of its centers of buoyancy and gravity to obtain its great stability and on a unique method of leveraging opposing forces to balance the lifting forces produced by the hydrofoils against the downward vector forces produced by the horizontal drag acting through the downward-angled anchor line. Because of their simplicity and lack of moving parts, they can generate electricity for extremely long periods without servicing.
The patents cover a self-supporting structure that allows the turbines to be positioned at those depths where the current can generate electricity at near the turbines’ design capacities. The actual conversion of the water’s kinetic energy into electricity utilizes the same technologies that are used by the wind-turbine industry. Unlike the wind turbines, the Gulf Stream Turbines will have very high capacity factors, extremely low O&M costs, and be able to produce usable power 24-7.
Benefits
Every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated with renewable energy can replace the same amount of electricity that is generated with a fossil fuel. If the electricity generated with a 1.2-MW Gulf Stream Turbine were to replace that generated by a coal-fired plant, the CO2 emissions would be cut by about 13,000 tons. If that electricity replaced that generated by a gas-fired turbine, those emissions would be reduced by about 5,900 tons.
During off-peak periods, the electricity produced by the Gulf Stream Turbines can replace the fossil-fuel-produced electricity, produce hydrogen for fuel-cell-powered cars, and recharge the batteries of plug-in hybrids and electric cars – all of which would further reduce the CO2 emissions. It is impossible to predict the additional incomes that might result from the sale of the carbon permits because the prices of those permits will be determined by auction and the supply will be controlled by those government officials administering the program.
A number of economists have estimated that the carbon prices will probably range between $20 and $40 per ton. With a carbon offset commodity futures price of $30 a ton, the owners of a 1.2-MW Gulf Stream Turbine could potentially receive an additional income of $390,000 per year – based on the 13,000 tons of CO2 that would be emitted by coal-fired plants producing that same amount of electricity.
With a wholesale electricity price of 10 cents per kWh, the revenues from the sale of the electricity and the PTC subsidy would be $1,081,897. Adding the $390,000 from the sale of the carbon permits would increase it to $1,471,897. That $1,471,897 would produce a return of 61.3% on an investment of $2.4 million ($2,000/kW) and of 49% on an investment of $3 million ($2,500/kW)