Zenergy Power has been commissioned to evaluate the potential increase in output that could be achieved from RWE's existing run-of-river hydro plants using superconductor variable speed generators.
At the end of January 2009 RWE commissioned the Group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Zenergy Power GmbH, to provide a detailed evaluation on the potential of its superconductive technology, using .data from a selected representative hydro plant on the river Mosel in Germany.
The results of the study will then be used as the basis for estimating how superconducting variable speed generators could contribute to increases in efficiency and output of a further eight similar hydro sites operated by RWE along the Mosel. The results of which are expected later this year.
In total, RWE operates ten run-of-river hydro plants on the river Mosel which together generate over 800GWh of electrical power every year. Once received and evaluated, the data from the Group’s study will be used by RWE to compile an economic evaluation of the business case for replacing conventional generators in run-of-river hydro plants with generators based on superconductor components.