Ottawa-based hydrokinetic energy company Waterotor has unveiled a 20 MW hybrid ocean system that simultaneously generates energy from slow-moving water and wind. The patented megarotor system design, dubbed “The Big Cajun” utilises unique rotor stacks in any water speed and conventional wind turbines to produce power.
Currently, under development in Louisiana, the technology is Waterotor’s first commercial ocean deployment. The company claimed its first application allows oil and gas operators to reduce their carbon footprint and drastically reduce costs by replacing diesel-generated electricity production on platforms that each consumes 33,000 gallons of fossil fuel per day at an annual cost of over $70m.
“Waterotor’s technology will provide access to a massive, untouched source of renewable energy for the first time,” said Fred Ferguson, Waterotor’s founder and CEO. “No one has successfully commercialised energy production from flat moving water. This is the beginning of a new era.” Ferguson added that hte company expects a major global corporation and/or power company to license the technology for ocean-produced electricity within the next year.
Waterotor has identified several potential sites for The Big Cajun, including an initial site located off Suriname and Guyana. The Big Cajun is being developed with major contractors under the direction of marine architect Herman J. Schellstede. San Francisco-based investment banking firm US Capital Global (USCG) has been engaged by Waterotor to raise further funding for the project.
