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ContinuousThrust™
Welcome and Introduction
Max Nicholas Renewables has designed a new class of patented hydro turbine technology which addresses many of the current challenges of clean energy generation. It has the potential to complement the move to greener forms of energy and will play an important role in achieving Net Zero targets in the UK and around the world.
The novel ContinuousThrust™ Turbine Technology apart from delivering significant cost savings through a lower Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE) than existing technologies, has the ability to operate in turbulent flow, shallow water, fast-flowing water, protect marine-life from blade strike and acoustic harm and can scale in size without being limited by cavitation.
The Max Nicholas Renewables turbine can be used in run-of-river settings including mill races, lock gates, sluice gates or wherever a channel of water narrows and as a result speeds. It is also applicable to in-pipe outfalls and the turbine unit can be fully submerged with some adjustments. Furthermore, it will be used to harness the significant power from nearshore tidal races and offshore tidal streams in a cost-effective way and will produce power outputs of more than 10-times that of existing technologies.
Latest News
MNR’s patent protecting its new class of Continuous-Thrust™ hydro turbine has officially been granted by IP Australia (Australia’s Intellectual Property…
MNR’s patent protecting its new class of Continuous-Thrust™ hydro turbine has officially been granted by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
MNR are delighted to have returned to Canada to attend the H20 Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia with the continued,…
Max Nicholas Renewables was delighted to be selected alongside seven other innovative ocean technology businesses to attend the Innovate UK…
MNR’s patent protecting its new class of Continuous-Thrust™ hydro turbine has officially been granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Insight Energy UK has heralded Max Nicholas Renewables as the “next generation of renewable energy generation”. Max Nicholas Renewables is…
Max Nicholas Renewables was proudly selected by Innovate UK Edge to join a delegation of 25 leading ocean technology businesses…
Our Technology
Max Nicholas Renewables has designed a patented ContinuousThrust™ Turbine Technology, which includes a unique arrangement of turbine enclosure, blades, baffles and inlet guides, that increase the power harvested to beyond 10x of the nearest competitor technology, and produces the following novel advantages:
- The unique design solves the limit of cavitation that restricts the speed-of-flow from which leading technologies can harvest and thereby increases power output; and
- The unique design solves the problem of harvesting high-power in turbulent as well as smooth flow. This means it can harvest power from places where other leading technologies will not work.
Marine Life
Friendly
With the turbine blades being enclosed and a protective grill at the entrance to the turbine, as well as safe passage around the turbine (important for run-of-river settings) the Max Nicholas Renewables technology will shield marine life from blade strike and acoustic harm as the rotor runs silently. Current leading floating and seabed mounted open turbines and propeller-based systems have the opposite, undesirable impact, on marine life.
High Yield
With Max Nicholas Renewables’ novel turbine design accelerating water into the turbine on to a unique arrangement of blades this allows power outputs of more than 10x existing technologies.
Turbulent
Water
The unique turbine design allows for the turbine to operate in both turbulent as well as laminar flow. The technology could also be used for the wind sector or any type of fluid.
Shallow
Draft
As the turbine technology can harvest considerably greater power it allows for the turbine blades and enclosure to be significantly smaller than existing turbines, as well as the ability to scale for larger offshore tidal races. As the turbine is not limited by cavitation there is no loss of power allowing the blades to spin at speed whilst always being in continuous thrust.
Competitive
Levelised Cost
of Energy
A number of the above mentioned factors combine to deliver an extremely competitive Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE). For larger offshore applications, Max Nicholas Renewables is targeting a LCoE of below £90 per MW hour. This is considerably below existing tidal and wave technologies and competitive with wind and solar renewable power – all while being from a more predictable source.
Meet our Team
Robert Norfolk
Founding Director
Robert’s previous roles include Senior Engineer in Subsea Oil & Gas control systems on behalf of major clients Enquest, TAQA, Talisman and Maersk. Through his Oil & Gas engineering consultancy firm he also acted directly for Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips. Conversely, he has taken engineering roles with manufacturing vendors, design houses and construction yards. Robert also spent 7 years engineering with Shell UK Southern North Sea Operations.
Before spending 30 years in Oil & Gas, Robert’s career began with 4 years of Instrument Engineering training at Sizewell ‘A’ nuclear power station, at that time owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board. This included a tour of specialised training centres, colleges, Gravesend R&D centre and other generation sites, all owned by the CEGB.
Ross Norfolk
Legal Director and
Company Secretary
Ross is a Solicitor by trade and has been involved with Max Nicholas Renewables since the inception of the business. Ross has been academically and professionally involved with law for 14 years and has legal practice experience in several firms in Corporate and Commercial areas, Commercial Litigation and Property Law.
Before working in practice, Ross worked in industry assisting a Senior Subsea Controls Engineer, acting for several major Oil and Gas clients.
Ross obtained his LLB Degree in Law from the University of East Anglia and graduated from the Legal Practice Course with Distinction from BPP University, Cambridge. Previous fields of academic study include Intellectual Property Law, Commercial Law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Law.
John Maltby MBE
Chairman
John has a portfolio of Non-Executive roles. He is a Non-Executive Director (NED) at Nordea Bank and Simplyhealth plc.
He is also on the Board of the National Citizen’s Service; a government funded youth charity and has recently been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for Services to Young People.
His previous NED appointments include Chair of Good Energy Group plc, Chair of Allica Bank, Chair of BlueStep Bank AS and Non- Executive Director of Bank of Ireland UK and of Tandem Bank. He is also an active Angel Investor and has made investments in a de-regulated water company and a market-leading digital technology company, both of which, achieved a successful exit for investors.
In his executive career John was CEO of Williams & Glyn and ran the Commercial Bank of Lloyds Banking Group with responsibility for all Banking services to SME’s. His early career was as a Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting and Price Waterhouse.
John is a graduate in Engineering Science from University of Durham.
For further information about ContinuousThrust™ Turbine Technology and Max Nicholas Renewables Ltd. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the team:
22 The Pastures, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England NR32 4WT UK
www.mn-renewables.com © Copyright 2022 Max Nicholas Renewables Ltd. Company Reg. No. 12695830 – All rights reserved.