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Cadens is actively working to recruit a crack team of experts to help qualify for and implement a $ 2.2 million dollar DOE grant (DOE-FOA-0001006_Water_Power_Manufacturing – see description below; webinar – https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/361593865). The full application has been submitted on June 24th, 2014 at 3:30 EDT.  We are continuing with process of building teams with expertise in the following fields:

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Low pressure flow control development (20 psi to 30 psi)
  • Civil Engineering
  • Project Management (renewable energy experience preferred)
  • General Business (renewable energy experience preferred)

For more information please contact Randy Mueller as soon as possible by email at info@cadensllc.com or phone at (608) 358-4101.

For more information about who we are and what we do see our ABOUT page.

 

Funding Opportunity Description

This FOA addresses the application of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing 
techniques to the development of new hydropower technologies. 

There is a significant opportunity to substantially increase hydropower generation at low-head sites in the US and around the world (“low-head” = sites with heads in the range of 2-20 meters, or 6-66 feet). These “new” hydropower opportunities, which are typically capable of generating between 100 kW - 30 MW, are readily presented at existing non-powered dams, and existing constrained waterways (to include canals and conduits). The ability to leverage existing water resource infrastructure makes these sites particularly attractive from an economic and permitting perspective. For example, these sites (non-powered dams and constrained waterways) tend to have roads and transmission lines already established on-site (or at least within close-proximity), and as the core infrastructure is already in place (dams and/or man-made conduits and canals), there would be minimal environmental impact due to the addition of a hydropower unit.

This FOA addresses the application of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing techniques to the development of new hydropower technologies.There is a significant opportunity to substantially increase hydropower generation at low-head sites in the US and around the world (“low-head” = sites with heads in the range of 2-20 meters, or 6-66 feet). These “new” hydropower opportunities, which are typically capable of generating between 100 kW - 30 MW, are readily presented at existing non-powered dams, and existing constrained waterways (to include canals and conduits). The ability to leverage existing water resource infrastructure makes these sites particularly attractive from an economic and permitting perspective. For example, these sites (non-powered dams and constrained waterways) tend to have roads and transmission lines already established on-site (or at least within close-proximity), and as the core infrastructure is already in place (dams and/or man-made conduits and canals), there would be minimal environmental impact due to the addition of a hydropower unit.

The development of low-cost, integrated hydropower turbine-generator sets capable of delivering cost-competitive electricity from these resources and within these head ranges is critical to fully exploit these emerging opportunities. The following criteria are considered essential design elements in this regard:

The development of low-cost, integrated hydropower turbine-generator sets capable of delivering cost-competitive electricity from these resources and within these head ranges is critical to fully exploit these emerging opportunities. The following criteria are considered essential design elements in this regard:

• Modular, self-contained units: Hydropower turbine-generator units should be relatively lightweight and be designed to be readily packaged to ease shipment and installation upon delivery; 

• Variable Speed: High efficiency across a range of flows; 

• Cost Competitive: Capital costs at full-scale production runs of less than $2k/kW, and an LCOE of $0.06/kW-hr or less: Systems must be able to compete with local hurdle rates;

• Minimize costs of manufacturing, operations and maintenance, and repair: The application of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing techniques to maximize the efficiency of unit production; and improve performance, survivability, and reparability of hydro turbine generator sets should yield cost-competitive, high performance systems with broad applicability; and 

• Ecologically non-disruptive: turbine/generator units should not have a significantly deleterious effect on marine life compared to the existing resource and infrastructure.

Over the last decade, the application of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing techniques, such as Near Net Shape (NNS) manufacturing or additive manufacturing techniques, have rapidly evolved and have entered the marketplace, especially so in Department of Defense and aerospace industry applications. NNS manufacturing has proven itself as it enables a significant reduction in: machining work, raw material usage, production time, and energy consumption. However, there are very limited examples where these advanced manufacturing techniques have been applied to the design and development of hydropower technologies. With the significant advancements realized over the last decade, it is believed that Computer Aided Design (CAD) driven, additive manufacturing technologies can effectively push the performance and speed the adoption of new hydropower technologies.

 

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