Gemstar
A submarine converter of water current into electricity
Eolpower Investments srl
University of Naples “Frederico II”
Gemstar is a water current converter that uses tides to make electricity. It consists of a floating main body supporting two hydro-turbines and moored to the seabed by a flexible cable.
Minimized environmental impact and a possible installation in deep water
Due to its reasonable size, its surface flotation and its winch placed on board that is remotely controllable to submerge or lift the system out of the water, transportation, installation and maintenance of Gemstar is facilitated and does not interfere with surface navigation. Its mooring system at the bottom of the water can make it reach depths that no other system of this type allows and makes it adaptable to changing tides.
For the past 10 years, some 20 engineers and researchers from the University of Naples “Federico II” in partnership with a private company specialized in renewable energy systems, Eolpower Investments SRL, have been developing Gemstar. Tested in 2012 in a prototype format of 100 kW over a short period in the lagoon of Venice, Gemstar, at the time, kept all its promises. A Gemstar 300 kW prototype will soon be tested over a long immersion period to test its reliability and hopes to reach an average energy output of 900 MWh/year, equivalent to a consumption of about 400 European homes.
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