US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has awarded $3.75 million to Verdant Power to further develop its TriFrame tidal foundation.
The selected Verdant Power project includes the execution of an integrated design process that considers and analyzes a range of options for TriFrame structural, hydrodynamic, and environmental performance, along with associated operational requirements for system IO&M.
The TriFrame optimizes turbine spacing and support structures, and allows for three turbines to be installed together as a single system and retrieved with one on-water operation, according to Verdant Power.
The project will be developed over three phases. The most recent funding award is for the second phase which will, along with the third phase, include the manufacturing of a full-scale TriFrame equipped with three Verdant Power fifth generation KHPS turbines.
The turbines will be built and demonstrated at Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project in New York City’s East River.
Technical and environmental performance will be measured during the demonstration and all developed IO&M operations will be conducted to inform cost reduction analyses, the company said.
John Banigan , CEO of Verdant Power, said: “We are excited to demonstrate a next-generation IO&M solution that has the potential to greatly reduce operational expenditures and bring MHK into cost- competitiveness with other forms of renewable energy.”
In addition to Verdant Power, the project team includes global engineering consultancy Ramboll Environ, Mojo Maritime, Kleinschmidt Associates, Cornell University, and senior manufacturing consultant Manufacturing Resources, among other partners.