VATIS UPDATE Article

Minesto, Sweden, is working on an underwater kite that generates electricity from tidal and ocean currents. “Ocean energy is reliable, predictable energy, it has a lot of advantages,” said Per Salomonsson, at Minesto. The kite operates at least 20 metres under the ocean surface where a cable steers it through the current in order to maximise the power generated by a turbine on its underside. The idea is to construct arrays of up to hundreds of individual kites.

The concept, known as Deep Green, was first invented by an engineer at the aerospace company Saab, Sweden, before developing into a stand-alone company – Minesto – 10 years ago. “Deep Green is the only known technology that exploits low-velocity tidal streams,” added Salomonsson, explaining that this means it can be used much more widely than other tidal energy devices. The kite is one of several tidal energy technologies that engineers believe will become commercially viable in the next few years.

There is also a floating platform that is being trialled at the world’s first marine energy test facility, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), which was set up on the Scottish island of Orkney in 2003. The firm has developed the world’s most powerful floating tidal platform called the SR2000. Two 1-megawatt turbines are mounted to its underside and can be tucked away when the platform is towed to and from site.