A hydrokinetic turbine system for harvesting energy from riverine and tidal sources, including a first floating dock, a marine hydrokinetic turbine mounted on the first floating dock, and a second floating dock. The system further includes a winch assembly mounted on the second floating dock and operationally connected to the first floating dock and a linkage assembly operationally connected to the first floating dock and to the second floating dock. The linkage assembly may be actuated to pull the first floating dock into contact with the second floating dock. The linkage assembly may be actuated to distance the first floating dock from the second floating dock, and the winch assembly may be energized to orient the first floating dock into a position wherein the marine hydrokinetic turbine is above the first floating dock and wherein the winch assembly may be energized to orient the first floating dock into a position wherein the marine hydrokinetic turbine is below the first floating dock.

A method for repairing a discharge ring of a hydraulic turbine with a turbine runner in place includes: mounting adjustable fixtures to runner blades that are approximately evenly spaced around the turbine runner, where each adjustable fixture is mounted to a different runner blade at a different predetermined vertical position with respect to a surface of the discharge ring; attaching cutting equipment configured to remove material from the discharge ring to each adjustable fixture installed on the runner blades; installing a drive unit configured to rotate the turbine runner; controlling the drive unit to rotate the runner at a specified speed; and controlling the cutting equipment attached to each adjustable fixture to concurrently remove material from the discharge ring as the turbine runner rotates.

A floating mooring system for a single CycWEC applies counter forces and torques to keep a generator suitably stationary for power generation without requiring fixed attachments to the ocean floor or requiring a large frame interconnecting multiple CycWECs. The mooring system uses floats or floatation structure with differential ballasting to counter operating torque and drag plates to counter reactive forces. The floatation structures may be used to float the CycWEC for transport to a deployment location, where changing the overall ballasting of the floatation structures submerges the CycWEC to a desired depth and differential ballasting in the floatation structures counts expected operating torques.

The present invention is a reversible pump-turbine installation positioned in a vertical borehole instead of in a conventional underground powerhouse or deep concrete powerhouse. The required plant cavitation coefficient may be achieved by simply boring a vertical borehole to the required depth rather than routing the water flow to and from a deeply buried powerhouse. A pneumatically controlled pressure relief valve may be incorporated into this invention.

A kinetic fluid energy to mechanical energy conversion system includes hubs that are rotatable with respect to a hub carrier and support one or more independently controlled articulating energy conversion plates (“ECP”) and a track orientation control mechanism (“TOCM”) for alternating the independent control of each ECP in response to operating conditions. Each ECP has opposed surfaces and leading and trailing edges and may have one or more lips projecting from one of the opposed surfaces, wherein the one or more lips comprise at least an inboard end lip extending transversely from an inboard end of the plate. Articulation of each ECP is controlled by a follower within a track that is rotatable with respect to the hub carrier, and service lines pass through a chase or bore passing through the hub carrier to bring power and/or control signals to the TOCM for effecting controlled, powered rotation of the track.

An improved exclusion barrier including a plurality of elongate members extending in a generally upright condition between a sea floor and a sea surface. The elongate members are improved to provide a more uniform surface area for the prevention of sharks passing through upper portions of the barrier and maximizing the exclusion capabilities of the overall barrier network. The elongate members include, in addition to permanent magnets, hydro-electric power generation mechanisms for powering electro-magnets within the elongate members to produce a stronger electro-magnetic deterrent field across the barrier network, and also include telescoping mechanisms to allow for a variance in length of each member in coordination with changing wave and water levels and to provide additional pump action for hydro-electric power generation within each elongate member. The exclusion barrier is also secured to the sea floor by an anchoring base having evenly spaced anchoring locations.

The Submerged/Water-Level Turbine is a hydro-electric power generator. All possible designs characteristically generate power from a turbine by channeling a vertical flow of water to and from depths of a provided reservoir. Careful construction will be able to accommodate a full range of power demands by regulating the water level of the reservoir that surrounds the structure.

A hybrid hydroelectric tidal power electricity generator is provided for generation of electrical power using a hybrid system to promote increased efficiency. The hybrid hydroelectric tidal power electricity generator may include a turbine, thruster, thrust pathway, reservoirs and channels. A method for generation of electrical power using a hybrid system to promote increased efficiency using the hybrid hydroelectric tidal power electricity generator is also provided.

Gravity and hydrostatic pressure are natural forces that have considerable force generating capabilities which can make significant contributions during the operation of a FFWN 24/7/365, baseload, 100% clean energy power plant. When these natural forces are combined with compressed air in the upper part of an elevated storage tank containing a liquid and the partial vacuum created by powerful pumps to produce a targeted water flow rate velocity of about 31.3 m/s through the entire length of a coiled section of pipe containing one or more helical turbines in each coil that are connected to an external generator, the electricity produced during a power producing cycle by all the turbines/generators when combined will be considerably more than the power ultimately consumed by the pumps to return the highly pressurized water in a ground level tank back to the storage tank utilizing a return tank and simple water displacement.

The invention concerns a method for coupling to the grid a hydraulic unit having a synchronous generator, a runner, and wicket gates, the method comprises: a) a step of increasing the flow of water into the runner from a time t.sub.0 to a time t.sub.1 so that the rotation frequency of the rotor of the synchronous generator is, at time t.sub.1 equal to the frequency of the grid; b) a step of closing the circuit breaker at time t.sub.1, step a) further comprises a sub-step a1) executed from a time t.sub.2 to time t.sub.1, wherein the flow of water is adjusted so that, at time t.sub.1, the phase of the synchronous generator is aligned with the grid phase.