The AR500 turbine is yet to be installed in the waters of the Goto Islands, Japan.
A tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland has been installed in the waters of a chain of Japanese islands, which represents the latest example of how the East Asian country is investigating the potential of energy-based forms of production. in the sea.
In a statement on Monday, London-based firm Simec Atlantis Energy said its pilot turbine had generated 10 megawatts in its first 10 days of operation.
The AR500 turbine was assembled at a facility in Scotland before being shipped to Japan, where it was installed in the waters off Naru Island, which is part of the largest chain on Goto Island.
According to SAE, the global project involves the leasing of tidal generation equipment, as well as the provision of offshore construction services to the Japanese company Kyuden Mirai Energy.
SAE CEO Graham Reid described the facility as a “huge milestone for the deployment of clean, renewable energy from tidal currents and hopefully will be the first of many tidal turbines installed in the Japan “.
Monday’s news is the latest example of how companies in Japan, an island nation with thousands of miles of coastline, are turning to projects focused on tidal and wave energy.
In January, it was announced that ship giant Mitsui OSK Lines would partner with a company called Wave Power Bomb to supply potential project sites in Japan and surrounding regions.
The collaboration between MOL, based in Tokyo and Bombora, will focus on finding possible locations for the latter’s mWave system, as well as hybrid projects that combine mWave and wind energy.
In simple terms, the technology developed by Bombora, which has offices in both the UK and Australia, is based on the idea of using rubber membrane “cells” that fill with air and adapt to an underwater submerged structure.
According to a video from the company explaining how its system works, when waves pass over the system, its “flexible rubber membrane design pumps air through a turbine to generate electricity.”
The International Energy Agency describes marine technologies as a “great potential”, but adds that additional support is needed for research, design and development in order to “enable the cost reduction involved in start-up of larger commercial plants “.
For its part, Japan says it wants renewable energy to account for 22% to 24% of its energy mix by 2030.
Last October, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the country would focus on net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. By 2030, Japan wants a 26% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases compared to 2013.
However, there is still work to be done for the country to achieve its goals. In 2019, its Natural Resources and Energy Agency said the country “depended heavily on fossil fuels” such as coal, oil and liquefied natural gas.