Nova Innovation bags UK funding for 7MW tidal energy scheme in Indonesia

Scotland-based tidal energy company Nova Innovation has won funding that could help deliver the 7MW tidal turbine array in Indonesia, the first ever for the Southeast Asian island country.

Innovate UK has awarded £200,000 to Nova’s FLITE (Feasibility of Larantuka and Indonesian Tidal Energy) project that will deliver a feasibility study for a 7MW tidal array in Larantuka Strait.

Larantuka Strait lies between the islands of Flores and Adonara and has one of the strongest tidal currents in Indonesia.

The array would use Nova’s next generation 100kW tidal turbines – an innovative technology that has been powering homes and businesses in Shetland since 2016.

FLITE is the first Asian project for Nova, who has teamed up with leading Indonesian University Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) to deliver the work.

Together, the partners will conduct on-site technical and socio-economic research supporting the business case for the tidal array.

Simon Forrest, Nova’s CEO, said: “Our goal is to kick-start the development of tidal stream as a sustainable and abundant energy source for countries across the world.

“Indonesia is blessed with vast tidal energy resources that can be harnessed to generate clean, predictable, sustainable energy for the country. By working closely with our Indonesian partners we will accelerate the harnessing of this untapped resource, capable of powering Indonesia for generations to come”.

Indonesia is one of the world’s largest countries, with over 270 million people and 17,500 islands. The country’s electricity grid is currently dominated by fossil fuels – coal, gas and oil – which together accounted for 83% of electricity generation in 2020.

However, the Indonesian Government has committed to increase renewable energy production by 2030, and the country’s abundant tidal energy resources provide the perfect opportunity to decarbonise its economy, according to Nova.

Bambang Pramujati, vice rector of the ITS, said: “Collaborative research between ITS and Nova Innovation will deliver a feasibility study for a tidal energy array in the Larantuka strait with the aim of answering economic and technical feasibility issues and providing confidence for investors”.

To remind, Nova recently signed a collaboration agreement with SIMEC Atlantis Energy, with the goal of delivering more UK-built tidal turbines in the water.

Beforehand, the company secured £6.4 million from the Scottish National Investment Bank to fund mass manufacturing and distribution of its innovative tidal energy turbines.

Earlier in November, Nova also opened a crowdfunding campaign on the Seedrs investment platform to collect funds for its business operations.