Photo credit: Mason Bichanich, UNH
Two PhD students have teamed up to create an underwater turbine to track tidal energy.
According to CleanTechnica, University of New Hampshire students Parviz Sedigh and Mason Bichanich have never seen their work implemented underwater. They did so through a partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as funding from the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office.
They used NREL’s Modular Ocean Data Acquisition setup, allowing their turbine to collect data on tidal energy. The clean energy source could power up to 21 million homes in the United States. Since the country can’t harness all of that energy, some of it will be reserved for water-based occupants like fishermen and boaters.
The seal-sized turbine will not only collect data but also help power a drawbridge. It will support community education through UNH’s Living Bridge Project and will be placed under the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth.
The turbine will collect data on power output, environmental conditions and voltage at the turbine, and track other equipment, such as PNNL’s acoustic camera. The camera will track floating hazards and debris data.
“We got hit by a lobster trap the other day,” Bichanich said.
Aidan Bharath, project leader at NREL, said, “Bichanich and Sedigh are building the foundation of a research platform that will enable future turbine components to be comprehensively tested and monitored.”
Tidal power works by turning a tidal current into fast-flowing water and converting it into energy. It works similarly to how wind turbines use air to generate power.
According to PNNL, water is more efficient than solar or wind as an energy source because it is denser. It also does not produce toxic gases or other waste.
Using a clean energy source will have a positive impact on the community because it improves the health of the community and reduces healthcare costs associated with polluting gases.
The UNH student partnership isn’t the only tidal turbine being implemented. Orbital Marine Power deployed a turbine in Orkney, Scotland, in 2021. Now, it’s using the same technology to install one off the coast of Washington.
If you live near the water, you can encourage your community to install tidal turbines by getting involved and demanding change.
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