Innovative Design, Easy Installation Enables Turbines to Quickly Deliver
Hydropower, With No Dams or Construction Required
SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2012--
Clean technology innovator Hydrovolts is using software from Autodesk,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) to create unique hydrokinetic turbines that are
more easily installed in rivers, canals and other waterways for faster
generation of renewable energy. The company’s smaller turbines can be
quickly installed and generating power in less than an hour.
Hydrovolts turbine for clean energy generation, designed with the help of Autodesk software. (Photo: Business Wire)
Digital Prototyping Streamlines Product Development
As a member of the Autodesk Clean
Tech Partner Program — which provides
software to established and emerging clean tech companies in North
America, Europe, Japan and Singapore — Hydrovolts gained access to a
variety of Digital
Prototyping tools to help develop and optimize its turbines.
“Autodesk
Inventor software and Autodesk
Inventor Fusion software are invaluable tools for helping us
digitally visualize and then revise our designs,” said Burt Hamner, CEO
of Hydrovolts. “And by using the Eco
Materials Adviser within Inventor, we can weigh all ecological
impact together with performance and financial impacts of materials for
our turbines. Autodesk technology is simply more efficient than anything
we’ve tried.”
Using Inventor and Inventor Fusion on a recent project for the Bureau of
Reclamation, a federal government agency, enabled Hydrovolts to quickly
and accurately model a turbine for the proposed installation site, and
then make appropriate changes to the prototype design in less than a
week. Meanwhile, Autodesk
Vault software provided complete document control, ensuring every
iteration was recorded and traceable.
“Digital Prototyping can save time and money at every step of the
product lifecycle,” said Robert
“Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, design, lifecycle and
simulation, at Autodesk. “By using a single digital model, clean tech
companies like Hydrovolts are able to develop their products more
efficiently and deliver the innovative energy solutions that the
marketplace is demanding.”
Smart Design Makes Turbines Easy to Use
Much of the speed of installation is due to the highly efficient design
of the Hydrovolts turbines. All of the different classes of turbine have
been engineered for easy “drop-in” installation — eliminating the need
for dams or other permanent constructions. The turbines are held in
place by mooring lines, while an output cable plugs directly into the
power load onshore.
In addition, the Hydrovolts turbines are specifically engineered to
easily accommodate different types of rotor blades for optimal
efficiency in the existing current. This adaptability enables users to
select the blade that can deliver the most power for the least cost,
based on a waterway’s unique flow.
About the Clean Tech Partner Program
The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports the efforts,
innovations and environmental advancements of clean technology pioneers,
providing world-class software to design, visualize and simulate their
ideas through Digital
Prototyping. Clean tech companies in North America, Europe, Japan,
and Singapore are invited to apply to receive up to $150,000* worth of
software for only $50. Access to a collection of Autodesk
industry-leading software includes up to five licenses each of Autodesk
Product Design Suite Ultimate, AutoCAD
Revit Architecture Suite, Autodesk
Simulation Mechanical, Autodesk
Inventor Publisher and Autodesk
Vault Professional software. Get more
information.
About Hydrovolts
Incorporated in 2007, Hydrovolts offers new in-stream hydrokinetic
turbines for clean energy generation around the world. For additional
information, visit www.hydrovolts.com.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D
design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the
manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and
entertainment industries -- including the last 16 Academy Award winners
for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize
and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in
1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of
state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information
about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
*Value is based on up to five commercial licenses of each application.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, Alias, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor, and Revit are
registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its
subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.
Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks
belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter
product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any
time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or
graphical errors that may appear in this document.
© 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50156419&lang=en
Source: Autodesk, Inc.
For Autodesk, Inc.
Carolyn Rohrer, 415-547-2428
carolyn.rohrer@autodesk.com
or
Stacey
Stevens, 415-318-4223
stacey.stevens@fleishman.com