[keenerd]

Ignoring the BS about coriolis, I think there is something legit here.

Of course there isn't any power to be gained from the vortex. What you would gain is a lot of RPMs from very little head. It makes the system be high speed and low torque. The dynamos would be higher voltage (lower amperage), the wiring and inverters are cheaper with lower amperage, and the structure doesn't have to be as strong since the torques are lower. It might even automatically safe during floods, since too much water entering it would distrupt the vortex and halt the wheel.

It is more like a clever hydraulic gearbox that potentially makes all the other components less expensive. Or am I completely off base? The water is spinning around faster than it would be flowing out, correct?

[princekolt]

This other company[1] built a prototype of a low-cost vortex in Chile, and claims it produces 15Kw consistently with a drop of 2-3m. If true that's fantastic. As suggested in their video, they could could build several of those in a row because they don't need a massive reservoir.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY3p2e1-kN4

[blattimwind]

Actually I think it is the opposite. This is very low speed at 10-20 rpm. A non-vortex hydro plant runs way faster with 1-2 meters of head, some fast enough that a high-pole-count generator can be directly driven.