Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Florida Keys-based nonprofit that is trying to turn the power of local tidal currents into electricity has redesigned its generator prototype amid federal fishery managers' concern about its rotors harming or killing federally protected sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish.

Placating the National Marine Fisheries Service biologists' concerns has delayed the construction and testing of the tidal turbines, but resulted in the group creating unique equipment specific to Florida Keys currents, said Douglas Bedgood, founder of Keys Hydro Power. The previous design was borrowed from other models.

Bedgood's engineers have designed a durable Fiberglas composite turbine that has a cagelike turtle and fish excluder on the front. The excluder will keep those larger than 4 inches from being caught in the turbine's rotors. Those smaller than 4 inches can pass through the turbine unharmed, Bedgood said.

The turbine also has a net on the back to catch the small fish and will allow federal fishery biologists to monitor whether the rotors are injuring them.

"We redesigned everything, inside and out," Bedgood said. "It was time-consuming, but now we have our own proprietary turbine that we can build ourselves on Stock Island."

Receiving approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Environmental Protection to test the prototype is contingent upon the National Marine Fisheries Service signing off on the project. The agency wants to avoid problems like federal wildlife officials had with wind farms, after several species of large birds were killed by the turbine blades.

"We're willing to work with the applicants to make sure the proper safeguards are in place, as the project seems to have merit," National Marine Fisheries Service Biologist David Bernhardt said.

The prototype will cost about $250,000 to complete, which includes design and engineering costs, Bedgood said. The prototype should take about six months to build. Once the tests are complete, Keys Hydro Power would be able to produce the turbines for less than $100,000 each, Bedgood said.

The nonprofit also is working on a grant application for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which will award a total of $7 million to clean, renewable energy projects and programs. A governor's mandate requires 20 percent of Florida's energy to be renewable and clean by 2020.

Keys Hydro Power should know by the end of November whether the Army Corps and DEP will allow the company to test the prototype in the channel below the Bahia Honda Bridge, which it plans to do for 60 days. Keys Hydro Power has been working with several Florida engineering firms on designs for a series of underwater turbines that would be put a half-mile south of the bridge.

The test project already has received support from Keys Energy Services, the Monroe County Commission, Key West City Commission and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

If the Bahia Honda test goes well, the experiment could expand into a commercial venture with turbines in other Keys channels. To operate large-scale turbine farms, Bedgood has formed Florida Hydropower, a for-profit company for which he is seeking 75 more investors.

The plan would be to have a cable on the seafloor running from the turbine to a substation the company builds on land, Bedgood said. The company would sell the power to the Florida Municipal Power Agency, which sells power to Keys Energy Services.

Florida Hydropower would make charitable contributions to Keys Hydro Power to continue research, Bedgood said.

tohara@keysnews.com