Attn: DOE Announces $27 Million in Waterpower Solicitations – Act Now!

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1. John Robson says:

   May 1, 2009 at 11:02 am

   Sean O’Neill,

   I have patents for a tethered submersible underwater power plant that can produce steady low-cost electric power from the Gulf Stream if placed off South Florida.
   The Gulf Stream Turbine has its center of buoyancy if far above its center of gravity to provide great inherent stability that keeps the machine level without relying on computers or complicated mechanical control systems that can fail.
   It has two depth-control systems that compliment each other. One depth-control system uses leveraged forces and no moving parts to instantly balance the hydrodynamic lifting forces to any changing in the downward vector forces to maintain approximate uniform depth. A second depth-control system controls depths with great precision with a unique system that moves the center of buoyancy either forward or control the hydrodynamic lift produced by the hydrofoils. This system is extremely simple and it permits the machines to be installed and recovered from the surface and for the machine’s operating depths to be changed from a remote location by adjusting the settings of a pressure switch.
   To minimize servicing and repairs, the submersible power plant is made of non-corroding materials and makes maximum use of the simple laws of physics to eliminate the need for complicated mechanical systems that can fail. Because these machines require almost no maintenance and because they consume no fuel, they can generate electricity with almost no operating costs. Powered by a steady Coriolis force current produced by earths’ eastward rotation acting on the westward current produced by the trade winds, these machines can produce steady low-cost power 24-7.
   A website at http://www.gulfstreamturbine.com describes the invention. No other design can produce electricity from the Gulf Stream more efficiently or be easier to manage. I am not the only one who believes this. On April 5, 2009, I received the following e-mail (emphasis has been added):
   Dear Dr. Robson,

   This is Falin Chen writing this email from Taiwan. I am a university professor in National Taiwan University, and now is in charge of planning the research content of Taiwan’s National Energy Program, a multi-billion US dollars project for five year starting from 2009.
   In this national program, there is a major project is to harvest the momentum of ocean current “Kuroshio” to generate electricity. Due to this project, your article “The Gulf Stream Turbine” has come to my attention. After read through you articles, I found that your design could be one of the best machines we shall choose for our Kuroshio Power Plant (KPP) project.
   Before I go any further into our KPP in Taiwan, would you allow me to raise a few questions about your design?
   1. Do your design GST be suitable for the deep water deployment? Since in the ocean depth is usually more than 500 meters along the eastern coast of Taiwan, and where the Kuroshio is passing along the coast steadily and strongly.
   2. In the last paragraph of your article “GAS COSTS AND GULF STREAM TURBINE PROFITS”, you mentioned that “An aggressive approach would be to install enough Gulf Stream turbines along those 175 miles of the Gulf Stream’ central axis off South Florida to provide a generating capacity of 218,711 megawatts.” My question is: By deploying such a large number of turbines along the 175-mile Gulf Stream, how can you prevent the stream momentum from vanishing?
   In fact, we have surveyed suitable turbines worldwide, we found your design for Gulf Stream could be applied immediately to Kuroshio as well. I hope my above questions do not bother you. And hope sincerely that your design can be the solution to our ‘long quest’.
   Best wishes

   Falin Chen
   University Chair Professor
   National Taiwan University
   Taipei, Taiwan

   Another person who likes the Gulf Stream Turbine concept is a Lockheed Martin engineer. I had presented a program at the 2008 EnergyOcean Conference in Galveston, June 24 – 26 of 2008. When I returned home, I discovered the following email:
   Mr. Robson –
   Bill Senke, from our team, recently spoke to you and showed me some literature on your patent Gulf Stream Turbine concept. I would be interested in speaking with you to explore opportunities to jointly pursue further development of your concept. Please let me know if you would be available some time next week.
   Thanks
   Lou
   Louis J. Larkin, PE
   Lockheed Martin fellow
   Lockheed Martin MS2
   100 E. 17th St., Riviera Beach, Fl 55404
   louis.j.larkin@lmco.com
   Because Mr. Larkin was away from his office, it was two weeks later when I finally reached him. He said that Lockheed Martin, though primarily in the defense business, also was producing some sophisticated underwater technology for deepwater drilling and was interested in increasing their diversification. We ended our conversation with the understanding that he would call me in about a week. After more than a week, I called and left a message to call me. When I finally spoke to him, he had bad news. He said that, though he personally liked the invention, those who “handle Mr. Lockheed’s money” had told him that the invention had not been developed sufficiently because there was no working prototype. I told him that a full-sized prototype would cost many millions of dollars – money that I did not have. He said that if Lockheed Martin were his company, he would develop the invention. Then he said, “But I am only an engineer.”
   Though the costs to engineer, build, and test a full-size prototype will be many millions of dollars, the payoff should be huge because the need for these machines is great and I will split the royalties 50-50 with those who will fund its development. That could be an individual, a company, or even the Department of Energy.

   John H. Robson
   847-566-6947

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2. Ken Weldon (DBA) Shoreline Power says:

   May 12, 2009 at 6:18 pm

   Sean: New way to harvest ocean energy!
   I can submit an amateur power point slide show presentation, if permissable, to show within 30 days, (the time it may take to produce). It will show a simple and new concept to harvest huge amounts of energy from ocean water waves. I actually harvest some of the weight of water within a water wave as it recedes downward to push or transport a supply of recycled fresh water to shore in a pipe to produce huge amounts of electricity. Approximately twenty, 15 to 20 feet high water waves, occuring every 20 seconds, can produce well over 100 megawatts of electricity. This can be done with little or no objects above the surface also. A civil engineer has verified results.
   I plan to advertise this protected invention to all interested parties when the slide show is completed or presentable.
   Ken Weldon
   shorelinepower@verizon.net

   Reply