Humber trial for power-producing turbine

Neptune Renewable Energy, based in North Ferriby, hopes to commission an array of turbines to create a clean power plant in the estuary.

The company will ship the 1.3m steel demonstrator from a Sunderland shipyard to the Humber in mid-April. Neptune will then carry out tests on the new technology.

Andrew Laver, a company director, said: "The key element is just how effective it is going to be. Twenty of these devices will produce enough electricity for between 8,000-12,000 homes a year. Once the demonstrator has been proved we will build a further 20 devices, all for the Humber."

Sheffield lawyer Paul Firth, one of the backers, said: "The clever bit about it is how the water flow is directed onto the turbine. The design and seaworthiness has been checked by Lloyd's."

Mr Laver added: "It uses some fins – which we call accelerator plates – to trim the flow of water onto the edges of the tips of the turbine.

"It's a very complicated algorithm that has been written to achieve optimum output. We will work on the demonstrator to maximise the output.

"While this is ongoing the intention is to create a new design which is fundamentally similar in that it will be a turbine sitting within a barge. The difference will be the structure.

"The intention is to create a kit of standard steel sections which can be bolted together in proximity to the site."

Mr Firth said: "Future production models will be like an assembly, a pre-pack Ikea-type thing that you can get into containers. We are looking at using composite materials. We are hoping to make them in Yorkshire."

Professor Jack Hardisty of the University of Hull, who is an expert in tidal and estuary flows, devised the technnology.

Mr Laver is managing director of Sheffield-based Arnold Laver timber merchant.