Patent ID: 7843077

Claim:
A system comprising: a turbine for converting energy of a flowing medium into electrical energy; a load; the load having at least two states, in a first of the at least two states the load is engaged with the turbine, slowing the speed at which the turbine spins, and in a second of the at least two states the load is disengaged from the turbine, the load being configured such that the load engages the turbine at a first threshold value, which is a turbine speed that is high enough to generate energy for duration of time after the load engages, while the turbine slows down as a result of the load engaging, but that is not high enough for the turbine to continue to generate energy with the load engaged, and the load disengages from the turbine when the speed of the turbine is below a second threshold value, the second threshold value being less than the first threshold value; a controller that periodically engages and disengages the load from a turbine at fixed intervals of time, while the fluid flows at a fixed speed; the time interval being dependent on a fluid speed of the fluid.