The invention is a special marine energy turbine. It was invented by John Hanna and has been granted a U.S. patent, number 8,358,026. It is unique because it can be utilized by two marine energy sectors, wave and tidal. It will benefit remote islands and coastal communities around the world. The energy that the turbine produces is clean, renewable and inexpensive. Details are available at: www.wetgen.com/wetgen_page_2.htm .
Two hi-level Masters Dissertations have been published that evaluated the Hanna turbine. One study was done at Heriot-Watt University in Dubai by engineering graduate student Joe Ninan Sunil. That study and a French Masters Thesis can be viewed on the website listed above.
If this solution wins the competition, the funds will be used to build a working 1:50 scale tidal energy generator to demonstrate the technology. This is the path forward to begin building full-scale wave and tidal energy devices for the global market. Wave energy turbines have been around for approximately 40 years. All wave energy turbines operate on the OWC (Oscillating Water Column) principle. OWC systems are the most mature and well-studied of all wave energy methods. Several OWC designs have been built but they all have demonstrated poor efficiency metrics and performance shortfalls. The new Hanna Turbine overcomes the problems shown in the earlier designs. No other marine turbine is as versatile, powerful or as practical as this invention. It is simple to manufacture with only two moving parts. This turbine, whether used as a wave or tidal design, will make a huge impact, helping to mitigate the problem of Climate Change.
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