Canada's New Invention Could Replace Solar Panels Forever

Canada is developing a new way to generate renewable electricity that doesn’t depend on sunshine at all. Ottawa-based Waterotor Energy Technologies has built a patented hydrokinetic generator designed to capture energy from slow-moving rivers, canals, tidal currents and ocean flows. Unlike traditional hydroelectric systems, it does not require a large dam, and the company says its rotor can operate in water moving as slowly as about 2 mph. Waterotor Energy Technologies The biggest advantage is consistency. Solar panels stop producing at night and wind turbines slow down when the wind disappears, but moving water can deliver power 24 hours a day in suitable locations. Waterotor claims its design can capture more than half of the available kinetic energy in the flow and potentially generate electricity at around $0.05 per kWh in some applications. Those figures are company claims and still depend heavily on water speed, deployment scale and site conditions. Waterotor Energy Technologies The technology has been tested through Canadian research facilities, including the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Testing Centre, and Waterotor says it has also supplied units under a Canadian Navy contract. Waterotor Energy Technologies This does not mean solar panels are about to disappear. Waterotor itself describes the technology as something that can complement solar and wind, especially in remote communities, coastal regions and places with reliable flowing water. Waterotor Energy Technologies But if Canada can scale low-speed hydrokinetic power cheaply, renewable energy may no longer need to wait for the sun to rise.