Last week, a "tidal power plant" from Swedish green energy startup Minesto delivered the first batch of 12 megawatts (MW) of electricity. That's enough to meet the electricity needs of 1,000 households.
The "tidal power plant" 122 meters wide, weighing 30 tons, and with a fluorescent yellow appearance, it looks like a biplane that uses anti-ocean currents to generate clean electricity.
Currently, the "tidal power plant" is being installed. Once installed, its on-board control system will steer the rudder so that it moves along a predetermined figure-8 countercurrent to turn the turbine. The generated electricity will be transmitted to onshore power facilities via submarine cables.
The idea of using tidal power is not new, but the cost of developing the technology is high. A British company once designed a similar machine, but it was nearly 71 meters long, weighed 700 tons, and generated nearly four times more electricity than Sweden's "tidal power plant". The successful operation of the Swedish company Minesto's "Tidal Power Plant" has shown that smaller, more modular, interlocking options can be used with tidal power.
Connecting multiple small subsea turbines is the next step for Minesto. According to reports, the company intends to build a 120MW system consisting of about 100 tidal turbines. In addition, Minesto has a smaller sibling. It can produce 100kW of energy, measures only 13 x 16 x 9 feet, and can be shipped in a standard container.
This diagram is for illustration only and is not the original diagram of the submarine generator in the text.