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The AR500 turbine awaiting installation in the waters off the Goto Islands, Japan.
A tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland has been installed in the waters off a chain of Japanese islands, the latest example of how the East Asian country is studying the potential of marine forms of energy production.
In a statement on Monday, London-based Simec Atlantis Energy said its pilot turbine generated 10 megawatt hours in its first 10 days of operation.
The AR500 turbine was mounted 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 larger Goto Island chain.
According to SAE, the overall project includes the rental of tidal production equipment as well as the provision of offshore construction services to the Japanese company Kyuden Mirai Energy.
SAE CEO Graham Reid described the installation as “an important step in the deployment of clean, renewable energy from tidal currents and we hope it will be the first of many tidal turbines installed in 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 shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines would partner with a company called Bombora Wave Power to explore potential project sites in Japan and surrounding areas.
The collaboration between the Tokyo-based MOL and Bombora will focus on finding possible locations for the latter’s mWave system, as well as hybrid projects that combine mWave and wind power.
Put simply, the technology developed by Bombora – which has offices in the UK and Australia – is based on the idea of using rubber membrane “cells” that are filled with air and fitted to a structure. submerged under water.
According to a video from the company describing how its system works, as 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 having “great potential”, but adds that additional political support is needed for research, design and development to “enable the cost reductions that accompany commissioning of larger commercial factories ”.
For its part, Japan declares that it wants renewable energies to represent 22 to 24% of its energy mix by 2030.
Last October, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared that the country will aim for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. By 2030, Japan wants a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2013.
However, there is still work to be done for the country to meet its targets. In 2019, its Natural Resources and Energy Agency said the country was “heavily dependent on fossil fuels” like coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas.
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