Swedish tidal energy developer Minesto got the chance to present its Deep Green tidal technology to HRH Prince Charles during the opening ceremony of Marine Centre Wales.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences on July 5 to open Marine Centre Wales, a national facility for the growing marine sector in Wales.
As a close partner to the university, Minesto was invited to attend the opening ceremony. At the display floor Minesto had a quarter-scale prototype of the Deep Green tidal kite arranged for display, as well as video of it in action.
Simon Mills, Offshore Operations Manager at Minesto, got the opportunity to further explain the Deep Green to the Prince.
“We talked about the concept in general, the true scale and ingenuity of the machine and how our technology stands out compared to conventional tidal technologies. I also presented our commitment, engagement and operations in Wales. The Prince seemed impressed and genuinely interested in Minesto and our technology,” Mills said.
Minesto’s technology consists of a wing, that resembles the kite, and the electricity is produced when the water current creates a hydrodynamic lift force on the wing which pushes the kite forward.
The wing includes watertight compartments for buoyancy system, batteries and pressure sensors.
The kite is steered in an 8-shaped trajectory by a rudder, and as the kite moves, water flows through the turbine and electricity is produced in the gearless generator.
The electricity is then transmitted through a cable via a tether attached to the wing, to the subsea cables that are connected to the shore.
Minesto plans to install a 500kW Deep Green tidal power plant at the Holyhead Deep site off Wales, in 2017.