3.) Movable Hydropower Station Has Many Advantages

Within the framework of two projects, the DBU has begun to support the development, and subsequently the testing, of an innovative new hydropower station. The central feature of this new technology is the movable turbine- and generator housing located below the water level (see image) which enables a flow around the housing during periods of heavy water volume. The swiveling operation of this component makes it simultaneously a control gate, so that additional construction for the purpose of flood discharge and debris management is unnecessary. The advantages of this concept, implemented by the firm Hydro-Energie Roth GmbH (Karlsruhe):

• The power station utilizes the hydro potential more efficiently than traditional stations, and can be installed more quickly and affordably due to the simple design of its trough.

• The operating costs are simultaneously reduced substantially through effective disposal of floating material and debris, as well as through direct drive of the permanent magnet-powered generator, which is cooled by the process water.

The results from the test station on the Ilm River in Bad Sulza provided the basis for two large demonstration facilities on the Kinzig River in Gengenbach (530 kW) and Offenburg (450 kW). Since then the innovative concept has been repeatedly cited for awards, including the EU’s “Best Environmental Project” for 2011.

www.hydroenergie.de