Minesto has successfully deployed its underwater tidal power kite in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland.
According to the Swedish company, this is the first successful trial of a marine power plant designed to generate in low velocity currents in the marine environment.
Deep Green resembles an underwater kite with a wing and a turbine that is attached by a tether to a fixed point on the seabed or a floating structure, moving swiftly in an 8-shaped trajectory in the current.
The Deep Green demonstrator has a 3m wing and was managed from an offshore control room during the test.
“This is a breakthrough for the entire renewable energy industry,” Minesto’s CEO Anders Jansson said of the initial trials.
The results with the 1:4 scale Deep Green device in the mouth of Strangford indicate that the full-scale device will be a success.
To date no-one else has proven a viable case for ocean current power that has been verified through offshore trials. Perhaps that challenge is now cracked.
“Our technology is indeed different from other marine power plants. It has been a long fight to get to the point where we are but when you have what we have, it is worth it,” said Jansson.
“This is a breakthrough for the entire renewable energy industry. We will produce renewable electricity with high reliability to a cost that will compete, or even be lower, than conventional energy sources.”
“Ocean currents are the hidden treasure of renewable energy sources.
“With their almost continuous water flows they carry large amounts of renewable energy over the globe and with a high load factor compared to weather dependant sources like wind or solar power.
“The resource is predictable and feasible for providing base grid power, and has minimal environmental impact.”
The next step for Minesto is to build a full-scale Deep Green device with a view to deployment in 2015 possibly off the UK.
Minesto claims that its technology will help make countries like Japan and Taiwan carbon neutral and independent energy producers, instead of hugely dependent on fossil based and imported energy.
Taiwan reckons that 50% of its energy can be supplied from the ocean currents along the coast subject to finding a viable technology.
Today Taiwan imports 98% of its energy needs and Minesto reckons it has the requisite technology solution.
Minesto was founded in 2007 and is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Northern Ireland.
The major shareholders in Minesto are BGA Invest, Midroc New Technology, Saab Group and Chalmers University of Technology.
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