Minesto has achieved a “first time ever” in harnessing the potential of tidal energy resources with its project off Northern Ireland.
The company’s Deep Green ‘underwater kite’ marine power plant designed for low velocity currents has produced electricity at sea for the first time.
Deep Green is the only known power plant in the world that works cost-effectively in low velocity tidal and ocean currents. To date, no one else has proven a viable case for ocean current power that has been verified through offshore trials.
“This is a break-through for the entire renewable energy industry,” said Minesto’s CEO Anders Jansson .
The breakthrough ocean trials with a 1:4 scale Deep Green power plant in Strangford Lough have proved power production from slow currents using a surface-mounted installation, a concept that is directly transferable to full commercial installations in ocean currents.
“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 Anders Jansson, CEO, Minesto . “We will produce renewable electricity with high reliability to a cost that will compete, or even be lower, than conventional energy sources.”
Mr. Jansson continued: “The challenge has been that the currents are too slow and the sites are too deep for most available marine power plants. Deep Green solves that problem. Minesto’s technology will contribute to make countries like the USA, Japan and Taiwan carbon neutral and independent energy producers, instead of hugely dependent on fossil based and imported energy.
“Just to take an example: Taiwan claims that 50 per cent of their energy can be supplied from the ocean currents along the coast if they just find a viable technology, and we believe that Deep Green is that technology. Today Taiwan depends on 98 per cent imported energy which is a threat to the country’s economy.”
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Press release, November 13, 2013; Image: Minesto