BladeRunner Hydrokinetic Energy System for Sustainable Aquaculture

BladeRunner Energy, Inc. is bringing to market an affordable renewable energy solution that harnesses the reliable power found in the natural flow of water, without the need for dams or impoundments. 

BladeRunner’s small, flexible configuration is a unique approach and builds on the larger trends of the energy transition and distributed energy resources. With the appropriate resource, this approach will result in an affordable small-scale renewable energy system that offers low environmental impact, debris resilience, and has the potential for a competitive operating cost in applications relying on diesel generation or suffering from energy constraints.

As an early-stage company committed to making renewable energy available in areas rich with riverine and tidal/ocean currents, BladeRunner has been successful at receiving recognition from federal entities in their innovative approach. Currently, the company is under contract with the Department of Energy (DOE), where they are collaborating with the University of Alaska Fairbanks in a project focused on applications for remote riverine communities. Under this work, BladeRunner is developing their initial stand-alone product rated for 5kW of electrical power at a water velocity of 3.5 to 4 knots and have been field testing prototypes in the 3kW scale. These recent tests have been of a 5ft diameter rotor, coupled to the generator via a 25ft long flexible composite torsional cable.

Determined to be participants in the shift towards small-scale distributed power generation, BladeRunner looks to a future where their technology will also support sustainable practices in the aquaculture and maritime industries. To this end, BladeRunner is working on a proposal for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant in response to DOE’s interest for co-development of a marine energy technology, where a partnership between an energy technology developer and an end-user in the marine aquaculture sector is strongly emphasized. The company sees a path where this R&D grant can allow tailoring of their system for harnessing bi-directional tidal currents and allow for a relative ease in co-locating with existing infrastructure. 

To learn more, visit bladerunnerenergy.com.