GKinetic Energy is looking for potential tidal test sites and collaborative partners for its tidal energy demonstration projects starting in 2017.
Irish tidal energy developer has opened discussions with several test sites in Europe and America, including SEENEOH , the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre (CHTTC), and the University of Cadiz, as it plans to deploy three 25kW river devices in the last quarter of 2017, and first quarter of 2018.
“Ideally, the company aims to have several devices deployed in different marine environments. The outcome of these demonstrations would provide collaborative partners with research opportunities, data and insights as well as first-hand experience while working to scale up GKinetic’s innovative hydrokinetic turbine technology,” the company said.
GKinetic has already deployed and tow-tested a 10kW prototype in the Limerick Docks, Ireland, earlier this year.
Since then, progress was made on the device’s power take-off (PTO) system with help from MaREI, and a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has recently been completed by Numerics Warehouse, according to GKinetic.
The company is also continuing the collaboration with NUI Galway that will see the development of in depth models after the device is redeployed in the Limerick Docks next year for more advanced testing.
GKinetic has received financial backing from the from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), with the latest funding award in the amount of €96,000.