Company

Hydrovolts grew out the most advanced study of tidal power feasibility in the USA to date.

In 2005 the City of Tacoma, Washington proposed a 16 MW renewable tidal power project in the Tacoma Narrows of Puget Sound in Washington State. Tacoma Power, the city electric utility, hired Hydrovolts founder Burton Hamner and his company Puget Sound Tidal Power LLC (now Hydrovolts, Inc.) for the Tacoma Narrows Tidal Power Feasibility Study in February 2007.

The team conducted advanced 3-D current modeling, field studies, location and power analysis for turbines, a survey of all the existing tidal and river turbine technology, and permitting and economic analysis. The study concluded in December 2007 that utility-scale tidal power generation is very challenging and it is not economically competitive at the Tacoma site.

Download the report here: Tacoma Narrows Tidal Power Feasibility Study

Burt Hamner recognized that turbine technology could be successful at a smaller scale in rivers, canals and waterways. Following the Tacoma study, Hamner started Hydrovolts, Inc. The new company has invented and and is patenting new in-stream hydrokinetic turbines. These new turbines will revolutionize renewable in-stream power generation and make it cost-effective around the world.