KEPLER ENERGY

Kepler Energy was established in 2010 to exploit, with an exclusive licence, an internationally patented 2nd generation tidal turbine developed from 2007 to 2010 by three senior academics at the University of Oxford Department of Engineering Science. Initial work focused upon establishing the performance characteristics of the rotor at 1:20 prototype scale, financed initially by the University, and then, for a second time, with more detailed instrumentation for stress and other measurements, fi... nanced by the Technology Strategy Board and by the company's shareholders. Subsequent work has involved developing designs for full scale turbines, combined into tidal fences, undertaken with supply chain partners who are each leaders in the offshore and tidal energy arenas. Kepler has no direct economic competitors in providing access to tidal stream resource where first generation turbines are not economic, and represents the first disruptive technology to positively impact on the economics of power production from this predictable source of sustainable energy. This is because the Kepler turbine is very different to all others on the market - it is larger, scaleable, intrinsically more powerful and patented. It has been optimised to open up new resources in low tidal stream velocity flows (below 2.5 m/s), the most commonly found current strength in coastal waters across the globe. The rotor is deployed in standardised units within a tidal fence arrangement, with the key advantage of generating revenue incrementally during the construction phase, to provide certainty in realising expected equity returns.