What is the Vortex Turbine and What is Turbulent Energy?

 Micro hydro-power plants are the eco-friendliest renewable energy sources available today. They generate clean energy from streams, river sand canals without interfering with the environment. Run-of river installations have considerably less impact than storage schemes With nearly zero CO2 emissions and a high plant factor and energy output, micro-hydro is a perfect solution for fully sustainable off-the-grid rural electrification. Furthermore, the low rotations per minute and curved blades allow the aquatic life to pass unharmed. Turbulent offers a solution to generate stable, reliable, and affordable green energy for the local people, to help the planet while making a sustainable profit. 

The low cost per kilowatt-hour produced ensures a fast payback time of the power plant which will generate continuous 24/7 revenue for the next decades. Turbulent power systems are creating green energy possibilities in places that were never viable before for hydropower, thanks to the low height difference and flow requirements. A very small 1-meter drop or progressive height difference is enough for the smallest turbine model The required civil works are simple and can be made by local workers, with local materials For larger height differences and flows, more powerful turbines can be installed for industrial use or to power entire communities or village. 

These systems are made in Europe using European quality standards and ensure a long life-span, with low maintenance needs, no operator, and few human interventions. The Turbulent micro hydro-power systems work by diverting water from the mainstream to a bypass canal, which brings the water flow into the turbine. The water passing through makes the turbine rotate slowly which creates a low-pressure vortex. The water is then fully recycled back into the mainstream.

Let’s take a look at how a typical Turbulent project looks like - 

Trash rack:

A trash rack that protects the turbine from large debris. Thanks to the low RPM and curved blades, small debris, and aquatic life can pass through the turbine unharmed. 

Sluice gate:

A sluice gate located at the entrance of the bypass canal helps regulate the flow that enters the turbine- 

Electrical cabinet:

Everything from the flow regulation, to the startup and shutdown of the turbine is controlled autonomously from the electrical cabinet, with no need of human assistance. 

Control dashboard:

The control dashboard offers live monitoring of the turbine’s performance and status for your devices thanks to its connection to the mobile network. The generated energy can then be injected back to the grid or into off-grid communities. 

Thanks to the high durability, low maintenance and low environmental impact, the turbine provides a fast and sustainable return on investment. Turbulent aims to support local development in three ways: First, by providing clean energy to local people. Schools, hospitals and public infrastructures can benefit from having a reliable source of renewable energy, even in the most remote areas. 

Green School, Bali, Indonesia.

The Green School in Bali, Indonesia, installed a turbine that generates sufficient energy for its 600 students. The system is currently running coupled with the school’s other renewable energy sources. 

Secondly, our turbines can help to save the planet. How? by providing clean, reliable energy with zero carbon emissions and in a cost-effective way. About 120 households can be powered with one of our smallest turbine models in remote areas, where the yearly energy consumption can sometimes be as low as 400 kWh.

 Last but not least, our hydropower plants can create a new future-proof sustainable profit by lowering the costs of electricity and in some cases, by selling the energy back to the grid. Furthermore, governments and political leaders are encouraging renewable energy in many countries, and Turbulent is helping them reach their sustainability targets for green energy and low carbon emissions. Eco-friendly energy projects like ours often get supported by governments, development banks, and other organizations involved in rural development. Turbulent is Belgian scale-up created in 201,aiming to generate stable, reliable, and affordable energy worldwide. Its technology has been prized many times(Horizon 2020, MIT) and has installed and upcoming projects in over ten sites around the world. Turbulent is ready to assist you through the process of installing a micro hydro-power plant.