Turbulent has developed a micro-hydroelectric turbine over the past 2.5 years that produces renewable energy efficiently and without impact on water flows needing a very low difference in height (1.5-3m). Turbulent is currently deploying these turbines in irrigation channels in Chile in view of the small influence of government procedures on such private projects and the great potential for decentralized and reliable energy supply for remote farmers and businesses in Chile.
Turbulent has a rudimentary knowledge of the licensing process for such projects in rivers and canals in the Netherlands and Europe. In order to be able to develop the large “micro-hydropower potential” in Europe in a scalable way, further knowledge on quality standards and legal processes is required – in particular the possibility of arriving at a generally accepted standard.
Blue Turbine Projects, Dutch partner with experience in this field, will assist us to analyze the technology and formulate adjustments to match our turbine technology with the aforementioned regulatory standards.
A major benefit of this cross-border project is to arrive at a fully developed turbine concept in accordance with the existing standards through an analysis of the first pilot project in Chile and an in-depth study of the European regulations concerning the environment and quality standards. By complying to generally accepted standards we can drastically reduce both the turnaround time of our hydro-power projects and the feasibility studies preceding such projects.
These projects are financed via the Link2Innovate framework project from the European Interreg Flanders-Netherlands program (WWW.GRENSREGIO.EU) Interreg Flanders-Netherlands stimulates cross-border projects for smart, green and inclusive growth, from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
More information on the current results can be found on Link2Innovate’s website: WWW.LINK2INNOVATE.EU.