Hydrovision was in Portland,OR this year, which made attending a no brainer as I coupled visits to Portland State University on the front and back end of the conference to oversee the assembly of the hermetically sealed magnetically geared generator for marine hydrokinetic energy applications. The conference itself was a good chance to connect with industry, government, and academics in the search for the next partner, supplier, or funding source. It was particularly exciting to see Emrgy (a small business out of Atlanta) announce a new partnership with GE Renewables to bring their small distributed hydro generators to international markets.
https://emrgy.com/emrgy-and-ge-renewable-energy-partner-for-global-commercialization-of-distributed-hydropower-system/
The time at PSU was also valuable to supplement the countless video conferences over the past year. I was impressed/amused to see the electronic component vending machines in the halls of the Engineering building. As quirky as it seems, I can imagine them getting a lot of traffic, particularly during senior design crunch time.
Electronics Vending at PSU
The city itself remains a favored destination, with reliable mass transit, great choices for food, and inspiring attractions.
