ACEP starts turbine testing in Alaska

Alaska Center for Energy and Power’s (ACEP) Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center (AHERC) has deployed a turbine developed by Canada-based New Energy at the Tanana River test site, Alaska.

The turbine was installed on June 7, following the deployment of the monitoring instruments needed for the work including the Blueview imaging sonar and the Simrad split beam sonar.

AHERC informed the team has also installed the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) to measure velocity and turbulence velocity.

The turbine was connected to its power electronics for power output monitoring, after which the turbine break was released and it was allowed to start spinning.

The aims of deployment of New Energy’s 5 kW turbine are to measure power output characteristics and energy storage techniques to convert river energy into usable electricity.

Parallel to this, the interns conducted works related to on an ongoing fish study by verifying the instruments, programming the data logger, and preparing to collect fish samples behind the turbine with the inclined plane trap.

The Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), based at the University of Alaska, is dedicated to applied energy research and testing focused on lowering the cost of energy throughout Alaska and developing economic opportunities for the State, its residents, and its industries.

Note: The article initially said that Canada-based hydrokinetic developer New Energy deployed its turbine at the Tanana River test site. This was corrected after the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) contacted Tidal Energy Today to explain that New Energy is not affiliated with the project work. Although a New Energy river turbine is being utilized, it is currently owned by ACEP’s Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center (AHERC) program, which is conducting all research and testing at the test site this summer, with participation from the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, in regards to the fish collection and fish sampling.

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