A method of testing a hydroelectric turbine before the turbine is installed and secured on the seabed, in order to ensure that the turbine is operating as expected, the method involving securing the turbine to a vessel and displacing the vessel through water in order to effect rotation while monitoring one or more operating parameters of the turbine. The blade body has an upper portion with a scraping tip and a lower portion with a pair of laterally spaced depending leg portions. The beam of radiation and the voltage pulse from the voltage source are provided in phase or out of phase. It can also compute an appropriate incentive-award distribution to the referring requesters.