WHAT IS HYDROKINETIC POWER?

Humans have always lived close to fresh water, and today over half the world’s population lives within 3km of a river. This, coupled with the fact that rivers are a constantly renewing resource, means that traditional hydropower has been one of the dominant sources of the world’s renewable energy ever since it was commercially developed over a century ago.

However, traditional hydropower has come with some terrible associated environmental and social costs. The large dams required alter river geographies significantly, and this often displaces communities living downstream, as well as changing natural habitats and destroying flora and fauna.

Hydrokinetic or “run-of-river” power capitalises on the same user/resource proximity and resource replenishment of hydropower, but it is entirely environmentally non-invasive. It requires no large civil infrastructure, and does not alter river geographies in any way.

Instead, hydrokinetic technology harnesses the resource of constant flowing river water, using this to produce baseload, renewable power.

Rivers are a global resource, making hydrokinetic power a truly global market. Large cities and small villages alike are located on major rivers, and with the right scalable technology, hydrokinetic power is therefore able to service large and small-scale energy markets. This scalability is one of the key aspects of Achelous Energy’s FITS device.