Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly underwater? The Swedish Minnesota he found a way to do this, producing electricity from the kinetic energy of sea currents. Moreover, the underwater kites of this company do this by obtaining much higher energy production performance than the traditional fixed tidal turbines.
The new kites in the range Dragon Class they have been designed to be scalable effectively and available in different sizes and power ratings tailored to the conditions where they will operate. This means they will be able to adapt to different energy production needs and characteristics such as water flow and depth. Furthermore, their design simplifies handling during installation and maintenance, while also reducing production and assembly costs. After the first test phase in the Faroe Islands (of which we spoke to you just a year ago), underwater kites will also be at work in Northern Ireland and France.
How do underwater kites work?
The principle behind Minesto's Dragon Classes is similar to that of a kite flying in the wind. In this case, however, the wing is underwater and uses the force of hydrodynamic lift created by the sea current. An onboard rudder control system steers the kites in a figure-of-eight trajectory, while water flows efficiently through the system's turbine generating electricity with power ratings ranging from 50 kW to 1,2 MW.
Unlike other sources of this kind (such as theAeolian), tidal energy is more stable. This is why devices such as those by Minesto represent a promising solution for the future of renewable energy, able (with this new generation) to offer even higher performance at even lower costs.
And it's not a bad thing: the sea covers 70% of the earth's surface but is still little exploited as a source of renewable energy. This solution is truly an important step, indeed: the confirmation of an important step towards the future of sustainable energy.
