Description
The Kobold turbine is a rotor mounted on a vertical shaft which produces mechanical energy by exploiting marine currents. The system is moored by four anchoring blocks where the water depth is 18-25 m and the expected current velocity is about 2 m/s. The system consists of a buoyant support platform and the patented Kobold turbine. The platform, designed by the Ponte di Archimede Company, houses the gearbox, a 160 kW synchronous generator and the necessary electrical equipment. The Kobold turbine (cross flow rotor, 6 m in diameter, equipped with three blades with a span of 5 m) is placed under the platform. More information is available from this 2007 presentation.
Location
The Enermar Project is located in the Strait of Messina, along the Sicilian coast. At a depth of 18-25 meters, the closest city is Ganzirri, Italy.
Licensing Information
The Enermar prototype was financed by Ponte di Archimede Company, together with a 50% fund paid by the Sicilian Region Administration (Regione Siciliana), in the framework of European Union Structural Funds.
Project Progress
The Enermar Project was installed in 2001. At 2 m/s the power produced was about 25 kW (the design power is 80 kW). The global net efficiency, including electric and mechanical losses, was estimated at about 25%.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has funded this project that was demonstrated at near full-scale from 2004 to 2005.
Baseline Assessment: Enermar Project
| Receptor | Study Description | Design and Methods | Results | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Environment | Baseline acoustic conditions of the Messina Strait. | Two-day measurements (10-11 July, 2011) at 16 and 30 m with hydrophones. | Tables reporting intensity levels with 1/3 of octave frequency resolution and 1/10 of a second time resolution. The low frequency component is the most intense part of the signal and corresponds to the flow noise with frequencies ranging 20-40Hz. | Completed |
Post-Installation Monitoring: Enermar Project
| Stressor | Receptor | Study Description | Design and Methods | Results | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changes in Flow | Physical Environment | Studies to evaluate the landscape impact of the Kobold prototype in the Strait of Messina. | Semi-quantitative method to model a landscape assessment. | The site where the plant is positioned at a distance of about 150 – 200 m from the shore. The results show that the measurement method of the impact on the landscape has been a huge success. In fact, the fuzzy variable representing the impact is 98% below the tolerance threshold. | Completed |