VATIS UPDATE Article

Minesto, the United Kingdom, has developed a revolutionary concept for producing electricity from the ocean. The technology, called ‘Deep Green’, unlocks an untapped renewable energy resource. It is a prototype kite, very different to those used for flying. Its design allows it to glide underwater at speeds up to ten times faster than the tides themselves.

The sea inlet of Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, the largest in the British Isles, covers 150 square kilometers. Its tides regularly rise to an amplitude of four meters at speeds averaging 1,4 meters per second. For these natural reasons, researchers studying how to produce energy from tides chose this location to test the first submarine glider of its kind.

“It’s a kite, and it’s tethered to the sea floor. In a tide we have a lifting force: the water pushing. The wing making it fly forward; it actually accelerates, so it makes the turbine spin. And when the turbine spins, you produce electricity,” explained Heije Westberg, at Minesto. The kite is heavily equipped with sensors and communication tools.