Airplane-like turbine design produces electricity from ocean currents

The new bladed turbine design will help the Faroe Islands generate all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

The Swedish engineering company Minesto has developed a series of tidal turbines nicknamed "sea dragons" with the shape of a submerged aircraft. Minesto is operating two winged turbines in the waters of the Faroe Islands in the northern Atlantic Ocean. These turbines produce electricity from ocean currents.

Turbine "sea dragon" swims with currents.

The tidal turbine is anchored to the seabed by a metal cable 40 meters long. With a wingspan of 5m, each turbine can hover underwater in configuration number 8, producing enough electricity to power 4-5 households.

The principle of operation of the turbine is very similar to the wind turbine developed by Kitekraft. Minesto's winged turbine generates momentum and electricity through lift from the water currents. Meanwhile, Kitekraft's design has the advantage of being recovered during strong storms or high winds to prevent damage. Both companies' systems are deployed in clusters, with each machine anchored far apart to avoid collisions.

Minesto's tidal turbines use a built-in computer to move towards the prevailing ocean current, for as much efficiency as possible. Electricity was transmitted via a cable connected to another undersea cable that connected to a control station near the coastal town of Vestmanna.

Two turbines in use from Minesto contributed to the power of the Faroe Islands during last year's test. Currently, the company is developing a turbine model with a wingspan of 12m, which can produce 1.2 megawatts of electricity. A cluster of underwater turbines is enough to power half of the households on the Faroe Islands (25,000 households). The project will help the archipelago achieve its goal of generating all its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.