Let's go fly a tidal kite

The world's first tidal kite could soon be "flying" off the coast of Northern Ireland, after renewable energy startup Minesto today secured over €2m in new capital investment to help test its prototype device.

The Sweden-based firm, which was spun out of auto manufacturer Saab in 2007, is pioneering the development of a tidal kite, which will operate under water in a manner similar to wind kites.

Dubbed "Deep Green", the system consists of a lightweight turbine, generator and rudder attached to a fixed point on the seabed with a tether. The system can then move in the ocean to catch the best currents and maximise power output from the tides.

According to Minesto, the technology has the potential to increase the potential tidal energy market by up to 80 per cent as tidal kites can theoretically operate in deep water sites with low tidal velocities that are unsuitable for other forms of tidal energy generators.

The company announced today that it will install its first prototype at an undisclosed location off the coast of Northern Ireland in 2011 after securing 20m SEK (€2.08m) from a group of investors including Saab, Midroc New Technology and BGA Invest, as well as a number of unnamed private investors.

Chief executive Anders Jansson told BusinessGreen.com that although the initial prototype will not be connected to the grid, the firm plans to roll out a 200-500kW pilot project by 2013 and already has an agreement in place to connect to the grid in Northern Ireland from 2012.

Jansson said he then hopes to deploy projects across the Irish Sea, connecting to the main grid in Wales and Ireland, as well as Northern Ireland.

"One of the major advantages of this kind of technology is that it operates in low velocity depths of 60 metres," he said. "We're alone in those areas so there's no competition."

He added that the relatively high tides and large areas of available sea bed made the Irish Sea an ideal location for the technology.

However, Jansson admits that the road to commercialising this lightweight technology still faces a number of barriers.

The company has yet to be granted consents by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, and Jansson said that the company still faced a number of technical challenges if it is to make the system sufficiently robust and reliable.

"There's also the psychological challenge," he admitted. "When people see new concepts they tend to dismiss them as they haven't been done before."

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