Mediterranean eyes Minesto’s tidal kite

Swedish tidal energy developer Minesto hosted a study visit from the members of the Maestrale project which aims to lay the basis for Maritime Energy Deployment Strategy in the Mediterranean.

The delegation, comprised of representatives from Southern Europe energy agencies, universities and other institutions engaged in marine energy, visited Gothenburg and Minesto as part of the process of benchmarking marine energy technologies that could be applied in the Mediterranean area.

The agenda included presentations by Minesto’s CEO Martin Edlund, and CTO Heije Westberg as well as discussions regarding the potential application of Minesto’s Deep Green technology in the Mediterranean region.

Martin Edlund said: “The Mediterranean is an example of an area where our product, thanks to its unique characteristics, has the potential to exploit a resource that other marine energy technologies cannot. The meeting was a good exercise for us to learn more about the market potential for Deep Green in Mediterranean waters.”

Minesto’s technology, called Deep Green, has been designed to produce electricity from low-velocity ocean and tidal currents.

The device consists of a wing that resembles a kite, and the power is produced when the water current creates a hydrodynamic lift force on the wing which pushes the kite forward. The kite is steered in an 8-shaped trajectory by a rudder, and as the kite moves, the water flows through the turbine with magnified power, producing the electricity in the gearless generator.

The goal of the project Maestrale, part of EU’s Interreg MED Programme, is to promote the development of blue energy in the Mediterranean area as a key sector for sustainable growth, by fostering the creation and the transnational networking of innovative clusters.

More specifically, the aim is to create the necessary pre-conditions to better exploit the renewable energy sources in the marine environment whilst preserving the environmental and cultural values of the Mediterranean area.