Dutch newcomer steps on the ocean energy scene

Named Equinox Ocean Turbines, a new ocean energy company has been launched in the Netherlands with a clear goal of exploiting the vast potential of ocean currents by using its tidal energy technology designed for low-speed waters.

Gorinchem-based Equinox Ocean Turbines, officially launched earlier in October, is a new clean energy start-up which has already secured the support of major offshore industry players.

Namely, the company’s ambitious business development efforts are being supported by DAMEN Shipyards Group through its Maritime Ventures team since January 2022, as it aims to cash in on the vast ocean current energy resources, estimated to exceed 700GW of harvestable clean energy power.

Equinox plans to ‘tame the oceans’ in just five years by delivering its first commercial-scale turbine by 2027, which will be rated up to 3MW and capable of energy production at low flow speeds.

“Despite over €1 billion global investments in wave and tidal stream development, no commercial capacity has been realized. However, a huge knowledge base has been set-up and Equinox believes that ocean current energy can be the game-changer by utilizing this experience.

“The advantage of ocean currents is their relatively low speed. This minimizes installation and operational risks compared to other energy sources while providing an excellent earning capacity – double the energy per megawatt compared to offshore wind,” the company said.

Traditional tidal turbine designs are uneconomical at very low speeds, according to Equinox, which confirmed that low water speeds do provide a technical challenge for turbines.

Equinox uses a proprietary two-stage turbine technology, whereby first the energy is concentrated before harvesting. In combination with smart material usage, this results in a very scalable and economic product, the company claims.

Having also developed a scalable tethered semi-floating foundation platform specifically for ocean currents, Equinox said it will be able to be install turbines in arrays in all water depths and scale to accommodate all turbine sizes.

The platform has a dedicated maintenance and installation position, in which the system can be accessed at the water surface. The system can be installed and removed with normal small workboats, regardless of turbine size, according to Equinox.

Established by ambitious engineers and entrepreneurs Pieter de Haas, former chief technology officer at renowned tidal energy company Tocardo Tidal Turbines, who is the founder and director of Equinox, and Joris van Dijk, who acts as business development manager for the company, the first step for the start-up will be the demonstration of the technology.

Therefore, the current focus of Equinox has been put on raising the funds to grow the team and conduct the first demonstration project, which, if proved successful, could ultimately lead to the development of commercial turbine that could deliver between 10 to 20GWh of clean energy every year.

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