A system for generating energy from a water current flowing in a body of water. For example, the system may have a generator assembly operable to generate energy in response to the flow of the current and an anchor assembly located at the bed of the body of water, where the generator assembly is attached to the anchor assembly, is held between the bed and the surface of the body of water, and is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis with respect to the anchor assembly. For another example, the generator assembly may include a housing that is held in an upstream orientation when in use, and an impellor assembly located within the housing and including a plurality of blades arranged to be contacted by the flow of the water when in use.

An infrastructure arrangement for use in an underwater power generation installation includes a support structure adapted for engagement with a bed of a body of water, and an infrastructure module adapted to house infrastructure equipment for connection to power generating units of the installation. The infrastructure module is releasably engageable with the support structure.

A flowing-water driveable turbine assembly (104) for location in river or sea areas with unidirectional and bidirectional water flows. The turbine assembly comprises a turbine support (106) with positive buoyancy in water. The turbine support (106) is arranged to be anchored by an anchoring system (108) to a water bed. The turbine assembly comprises at least one turbine (110). The positive buoyancy of the turbine assembly in water has an upward force to constrain the turbine support 106 and the at least one turbine (110) to a position of floating equilibrium against a downward force of the anchoring system (108). The turbine assembly may have variable buoyancy, a duct around each turbine for directing water through the turbine to generate power from water flow, and a winch or winches for submerging the turbine assembly or parts thereof.

A power generation apparatus comprises a rotor rotatably mounted to a support and a plurality of vanes extending radially out from the rotor and positioned to be engaged by a moving fluid stream. Each vane includes a wing-shaped main blade having leading and trailing edges, and a co-extensive conditioner blade having leading and trailing edges. The conditioner blade is spaced parallel to the main blade so as to define therebetween a slot having an entrance and an exit. A lift-varying device boarders the slot to vary the lift produced by that vane inversely to the speed of the moving fluid stream so that the rotor turns at a relatively constant rate. The rotor, driven by wind or water, may be coupled to the armature of an induction motor/generator to produce electric power.

A power generation apparatus comprises a rotor rotatably mounted to a support and a plurality of vanes extending radially out from the rotor and positioned to be engaged by a moving fluid stream. Each vane includes a wing-shaped main blade having leading and trailing edges, and a co-extensive conditioner blade having leading and trailing edges. The conditioner blade is spaced parallel to the main blade so as to define therebetween a slot having an entrance and an exit. A lift-varying device boarders the slot to vary the lift produced by that vane inversely to the speed of the moving fluid stream so that the rotor turns at a relatively constant rate. The rotor, driven by wind or water, may be coupled to the armature of an induction motor/generator to produce electric power.

A pod of an ocean current power generation device which is serving as an underwater floating-type underwater device is provided with a ballast tank and an air storage tank. When discharging water from the ballast tank, by opening a water discharge valve and driving a water discharge pump, water inside the ballast tank is discharged to the outside through a water conduit. When supplying water, by opening a water supply valve while the water pressure outside the pod is greater than the water pressure inside the ballast tank, water is made to flow from the outside of the pod through an aperture portion, and into the ballast tank via the water conduit.

The present invention relates to a hydroelectric turbine recovery system, and in particular a system which significantly reduces the complexity of recovering a base mounted hydroelectric turbine from a deployment site on the seabed by providing a frame having an open mouth which can be advanced around the turbine before the frame is fully lowered into locking engagement with the base, thereby allowing the base, with the turbine thereon, to be recovered from the seabed.

This invention provides a modularized ocean energy generating device including an outer frame, at least four inner frames, and at least four hydraulic generator modules. The at least four inner frames are detachably disposed in the outer frame. The at least four hydraulic generator modules are disposed in the at least four inner frames, respectively. The modularized ocean energy generating device in the invention includes at least four built-in modules, and the hydraulic generator modules can be distributed in an array. By the detachable inner frames and the outer frame, modularized assembly and installation can be realized, thereby greatly reducing preserving and installing costs.

An ocean current electric power generator includes a mechanical brake that restricts a rotation of a rotor shaft of a rotatable wing, and a power transmission mechanism that is disposed between the rotor shaft and an electric power generator. The power transmission mechanism includes a switching section that switches between a power transmission state and a power disconnection state, a load application section that applies a rotation load on the rotor shaft during the power disconnection state, and a speed varying section that varies a revolution speed of the rotor shaft, and transmits the revolution to the electric power generator during the power transmission state.

A wind turbine blade device includes a rotating unit including a blade module concentrically connected to a rotating shaft thereof and having a plurality of radially curved channels each having inlet and outlet ends. The inlet and outlet ends of the radially curved channels are configured to respectively permit flow of the flow body into and out thereof. An outer tube includes a tube body surrounding the rotating unit, and a plurality of rib plates provided in the tube body. The outlet end of each radially curved channel corresponds to one of the rib plates, and each radially curved channel forms an included angle with a corresponding rib plate such that the flow body flowing out of the outlet end can impact upon the corresponding rib plate.