Abstract: A wind or water turbine mounted atop a support tower or tethered underwater drives a hydro-pumping system. The turbine converts wind or water energy into a driving torque applied to the hydro-pump. The hydro-pump forces water through a pipe transmission system to an onshore facility. On shore, the resultant pressurized fluid-flow propels a hydroelectric generating system to produce electricity or may first be used in a Reverse Osmosis desalinization process and the byproduct in part used to propel a hydroelectric generating system to produce electricity. The cold-water discharge from the hydroelectric generating system and/or from the desalinization process is used for onshore district or power plant cooling purposes.

Abstract: Wind or water currents turn a power generator rotor. A torque-dividing gearbox is coupled to an input shaft driven by the rotor. The torque-dividing gearbox has a plurality of output shafts located around a perimeter of the input shaft. A number of torque-reducing gearboxes are each coupled to a respective one of the output shafts, each one of the torque-reducing gearboxes driving a generator. In one design the torque-reducing gearboxes and generators are held stationary and the torque-dividing gearbox includes a bull gear turned by the input shaft. Each one of the output shafts is connected to a gear that engages the bull gear teeth. Alternatively, the torque-reducing gearboxes and generators rotate with the input shaft. The torque-dividing gearbox includes a stationary ring gear having ring gear teeth around an inner circumference. Each of the output shafts is connected to a gear that engages the ring gear teeth.

Abstract: A method is described of controlling a tethered, underwater, water current-driven turbine, power-generating device. A predetermined maximum depth and a predetermined minimum depth are set. In response to sensing depth of the device, an ascend protocol or a descend protocol are selectively invoked. These protocols maintain an operating depth of the device that is midway between the predetermined maximum depth and the predetermined minimum depth. The turbine includes variable-pitch rotor blades. A maximum allowable drag force load on the turbine rotors is selected. The pitch of the variable-pitch rotor blades on the turbine is adjusted such that the drag force loading of the device does not exceed a maximum design level.