Market for in-stream technology

The market for “in-stream technology” is seen by Tocardo as roughly subdivided into the following areas of application:

Inshore application

Retro-fitting in existing barrages or bridges; anywhere where fast water flows occur near these civil constructions. Unidirectional and bidirectional operation possible. Foundation method: depending on site conditions.

River application

Bridge mounted, bottom mounted or post-hydro dam operation. Mostly unidirectional. However close to the sea in their delta, some river also have bidirectional flows.

Offshore application

Large scale turbines, mounted on a floating platform or attached to the ocean floor.

Each market has its own characteristics and merits in terms of turbine size, accessibility, maintenance, foundation techniques and installation methods.

Tocardo technology applications

The Tocardo technology is applicable for all above mentioned three markets. Locations with water flows combined with a reasonable water depth, form an opportunity for energy generation. Minimal required water speeds range from 1.5 - 2.0 m/s and maximum speeds go up to 7 m/s.

The water should be deep enough for the deployment of a turbine. The minimal depth for the smallest turbine, the Tocardo T100, is 4 meters. In Inshore and River conditions the water depth can be a limiting factor. There is a great advantage in the case of the generally deeper offshore waters: machines can be made much larger, and therewith capture much more and much cheaper energy. Because of the scale, the over-all challenge for installation and maintenance is bigger there as well. Both on technical and infrastructural as well as on a financial and governmental level.

Focus

In addition to the big offshore market, Tocardo directs its attention to the Inshore and River markets, all with the same core turbine product. Experience gained through installation of many products in these better controllable areas will result in a much more reliable end product. We believe that the only way to make a product really reliable is to have a large installed base of installed products and to be able to learn and improve from that.

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