www.reuters.com
Oct 20, 2009
HOUSTON, Oct. 20 Ocean water and waves off the coast of Freeport, Texas, will soon produce fresh, desalinated drinking water - 100% fossil fuel-free - through new infrastructure owned, operated and funded by Texas Natural Resources LLC (TNR), the first licensee of INRI(R) SEADOG(R) Pump system.
TNR, based in Houston, is building the renewable fuel infrastructure that will not only produce clean drinking water from ocean water, but will eventually generate energy from waves for municipalities, commercial business and other local entities. The company has obtained licensing rights for the SEADOG(R) Pump technology from Texas-based Renew Blue Inc. (RBI).
Recently, RBI received the first-ever state off-shore wave energy lease from the Texas General Land Office. Manufacturing has already started on the off-shore wave powered platform that will be about 1 mile off the coast of Freeport. The platform is expected to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010. RBI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Independent Natural Resources Inc. (INRI(R)), is the first licensing entity of SEADOG(R) Pump, a technology that harnesses the power of ocean waves to generate electricity. The SEADOG(R) Pump separates itself from other technologies on the market by using a simple pump design with few moving parts and no electronics. Eighteen pumps will be used in this initial project to power the platform and desalination equipment.
Initially, the water from this first project will be bottled and distributed on a limited basis under the brand Renew Blue(TM) using bottles made of compostable, corn-based plastic. However, the greater goal of the SEADOG(R) Pump field is to demonstrate what the technology can do in providing electricity and clean water at a municipal level to regions all over the world that lack fresh water and energy but have an abundance of ocean waves along their coastline.
Through the licensing rights obtained from RBI, TNR will desalinate 3,000 gallons of water per day and will store up to 30,000 gallons in a sealed, stainless steel tank before being transported to the bottling plant. Municipal SEADOG(R) Pump systems will be designed to desalinate millions of gallons of fresh water per day. While traditional desalination typically requires significant amounts of electricity, the SEADOG(R) Pump platform system is powered solely by the wave energy it harnesses. Considering that 40 to 50% of operating costs in the desalination process is attributed to electric usage, the SEADOG(R) Pump system provides significant cost savings and minimal environmental impact compared to the large-scale use of power generated by fossil fuels. Further environmental benefits accrue from the superior manner in which brine water is disbursed. "We've been working on perfecting the SEADOG(R) technology for the past seven years and TNR is now launching the first commercial wave power generation in the U.S.," said Mark A. Thomas, CEO, INRI(R).
SEADOG® Technology
Generally speaking, wave energy is captured by engineered devices or components attached to stationary or floating structures that are set in motion by waves or swells on the surface of the ocean. Most wave energy technologies grow in cost because the equipment is sensitive to corrosive seawater and has intermittency issues similar to wind and solar energy. SEADOG(R) Pump, on the other hand, separates itself from other technologies on the market by using a simple pump design with few moving parts and no electronics. Multiple pumps are deployed in fields depending on how much power or water is desired.
In appropriate geographic locations, SEADOG(R) Pump can move large volumes of water to shore where it can be stored at elevation until needed for energy production. This ability to store energy removes the intermittency issues associated with other renewable energy technologies. Preliminary estimates based on results from the sea trial suggest that a 1-square-mile field of SEADOG(R) Pumps could generate anywhere from 30 MWs to more than 1,500 MWs of electricity on average. The amount of electricity generated is dependent on how small or large the waves are in any given area of the world.
About Texas Natural Resources LLC
Texas Natural Resources (TNR), based out of Houston, was launched in 2009 to provide management, ownership and development for new renewably fueled infrastructure technologies targeted at creating energy and desalinating water for municipalities, commercial businesses and other local entities. TNR is the initial licensee of SEADOG(R) Pump technology.
About Renew Blue Inc.
Renew Blue Inc. (RBI), a Texas Corporation, was formed in 2008 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Independent Natural Resources Inc. (INRI(R)). RBI is the first licensing entity of the INRI(R) SEADOG(R) Pump, a technology that captures energy from ocean waves. RBI is also the owner and licensor of the Renew Blue(TM) brand of water, the world's first 100% fossil-fuel-free, desalinated drinking water produced by harnessing the power of ocean waves. For more information please visit www.renewblue.com.
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