Profitability

The capital costs per kW in the range under 500 kW are less than those for conventional hydroelectric plants on average. Unless a weir already exists otherwise, of course.

The specific costs can be reduced if the system is expanded not only by modules, but also by extension. What is floating without weight in water can be prolongued without problems. And since the performance improves according to the wing length, and since this is not true for the costs of the whole plant, the total costs will only grow degressively. The progressive reduction of unit costs is much greater than otherwise usual in mechanical engineering.

As far as capacity utilization with respect to the flow-rate duration curve is concerned, the Transverpello has optimum part-load characteristics. One might even say that it has a flexible degree of extension. The equally efficient utilization of all load states results in more kWh/a than for a turbine, which is supposed to be run at 90% of its full-load rating. For the parameter „total investment to kilowatt-hours per year” the Transverpello is far superior to other means of energy conversion from renewable sources.

And as also wind speed at a relative closeness to the ground depends on structure and roughness of the earth surface, and therefore it blows stronger at sea, in the same way the speed of water in a specific point of the river can be accelerated by simply smoothing part of the ground. If the circumstances are appropriate, in this way the quantity of energy released will be increased up to 8 times the original amount.

The costs of care and maintenance are low. There is less call for scheduled maintenance, or even a corrective maintenance concept: due to the lower speeds, cavitation can be ignored, nor is there the wear caused by waterborne sand that occurs on turbine blades.

Lutz Kroeber 2008