28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
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Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#2The sea is a harsh environment, but the energy it contains, in the form of waves (basically concentrated wind) and tides is enormous (partly thanks to the density of water.)
Of course, like with all renewable, location matters. But there are lots of places with strong tides, and lots of places with reliable waves.
Harvesting this abundant energy at scale, with reasonable maintenence costs will be the next breakthrough in green energy.
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#3Definitely seems more feasible than a lot of crazy energy ideas! E.g. I think this makes more sense than the air versions because you don't have problems launching/landing or when the wind stops.
Probably the biggest issues I could imagine are maintenance and wildlife. They might be minor issues though. Also in most of the world (maybe not the Faroe Islands) this has to compete with solar & batteries which are getting cheaper and cheaper. If this is more than £5-10m then I think solar and batteries would be a much better option in most of the world.
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#4The sea is a harsh environment, but the energy it contains, in the form of waves (basically concentrated wind) and tides is enormous (partly thanks to the density of water.) Of course, like with all renewable, location matters. But there are lots of places with strong tides, and lots of places with reliable waves. Harvesting this abundant energy at scale, with reasonable maintenence costs will be the next breakthroug…
I've often thought why not dam a whole estuary or bay and use hydro to collect the energy on the the fall and rise of the tide. I know the environmental impact wouldake it unpalatable but are there any reasons it wouldn't work?
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#5The sea is a harsh environment, but the energy it contains, in the form of waves (basically concentrated wind) and tides is enormous (partly thanks to the density of water.) Of course, like with all renewable, location matters. But there are lots of places with strong tides, and lots of places with reliable waves. Harvesting this abundant energy at scale, with reasonable maintenence costs will be the next breakthroug…
I've often thought why not dam a whole estuary or bay and use hydro to collect the energy on the the fall and rise of the tide. I know the environmental impact wouldake it unpalatable but are there any reasons it wouldn't work?
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#6The sea is a harsh environment, but the energy it contains, in the form of waves (basically concentrated wind) and tides is enormous (partly thanks to the density of water.) Of course, like with all renewable, location matters. But there are lots of places with strong tides, and lots of places with reliable waves. Harvesting this abundant energy at scale, with reasonable maintenence costs will be the next breakthroug…
I've often thought why not dam a whole estuary or bay and use hydro to collect the energy on the the fall and rise of the tide. I know the environmental impact wouldake it unpalatable but are there any reasons it wouldn't work?
It's been done. Biggest one is Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station[1] and France had a 240MW tidal plant since the 60s [2].
This type of project has been few and far between and I would guess they might be very costly to build and maintain compared to the harvested energy.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sihwa_Lake_Tidal_Power_Station [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rance_Tidal_Power_Station
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#7The sea is a harsh environment, but the energy it contains, in the form of waves (basically concentrated wind) and tides is enormous (partly thanks to the density of water.) Of course, like with all renewable, location matters. But there are lots of places with strong tides, and lots of places with reliable waves. Harvesting this abundant energy at scale, with reasonable maintenence costs will be the next breakthroug…
I've often thought why not dam a whole estuary or bay and use hydro to collect the energy on the the fall and rise of the tide. I know the environmental impact wouldake it unpalatable but are there any reasons it wouldn't work?
Meet project Atlantropa, a proposed plan to dam the Mediterranean (or more accurately the atlantic ocean) at the strait of Gibraltar. A project so absurd and gigantic it would deserve its own thread really.
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#8Definitely seems more feasible than a lot of crazy energy ideas! E.g. I think this makes more sense than the air versions because you don't have problems launching/landing or when the wind stops. Probably the biggest issues I could imagine are maintenance and wildlife. They might be minor issues though. Also in most of the world (maybe not the Faroe Islands) this has to compete with solar & batteries which are gettin…
> Probably the biggest issues I could imagine are maintenance and wildlife. They might be minor issues though.
Might, yes, but I think it’s unlikely all problems will be minor. Salt water isn’t kind to metal, no matter how well painted. Also, I expect barnacles will start growing on it. If you’re a filter feeder, this may be even better than sitting on the sea bed or on a whale.
Question will be how much that effects their $/MWh calculation. The only real way to find out is to try, I guess.
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've often thought why not dam a whole estuary or bay and use hydro to collect the energy on the the fall and rise of the tide. I know the environmental impact wouldake it unpalatable but are there any reasons it wouldn't work?
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/1-severn-tidal-po...
That Severn project has on-again, off-again cycles that are typical of so many UK infrastructure projects. It's a little depressing.
Re: 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
#10Definitely seems more feasible than a lot of crazy energy ideas! E.g. I think this makes more sense than the air versions because you don't have problems launching/landing or when the wind stops. Probably the biggest issues I could imagine are maintenance and wildlife. They might be minor issues though. Also in most of the world (maybe not the Faroe Islands) this has to compete with solar & batteries which are gettin…
I wonder to what extent its output correlates with that of wind energy in the same region. Having a reasonably independent set of generating technologies might help with the intermittent generation of sun-based renewables.