Minesto

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Minesto AB
MINEST:STO
PredecessorSaab Group
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007) in Gothenburg, Sweden
Headquarters
Gothenburg Edit this on Wikidata
,
Sweden Edit this on Wikidata
ProductsTidal power kites
Websitehttps://minesto.com

Minesto AB is a Swedish developer of electricity producing tidal kite turbines, based in Gothenburg.[1] They also have a manufacturing base in Holyhead, North Wales,[2] and a test facility at Portaferry, Northern Ireland.

The company has tested devices and developed plans to install arrays off the coast of Anglesey, North Wales and in the Faroe Islands. They are also collaborating with National Taiwan Ocean University and TCC Green Energy, a subsidiary of Taiwan Cement, to develop projects in Taiwan.[3]

Minesto was formed in 2007 from the wind department of the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab Group.[4]

The Minesto devices somewhat resembles a plane, with a wing and control surfaces to steer the device through the water in a figure-of-eight shape. It is tethered to the seabed by a cable that also carries power and communication signals. By "flying" through the water using hydrodynamic lift, the device can travel several time faster than the current speed, allowing it to be used in areas of lower tidal currents than conventional turbines.[5][6]

Initial development[edit]

The concept was initially developed in 2003 by the wind department of the Swedish Saab Group. Minesto was formed as a standalone company in 2007.[4]

The first sea trials of the technology was a scaled-down version of the turbine tested in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland in 2011. This turbine had a wingspan of 3.0 m, a 1:4 prototype of a turbine with 12 m wingspan and 1 m rotor diameter.[4][7] The kite was anchored to the seabed by a 27 m long tether, and flew in a loop approximately 20 m across the flow direction and 3 m high, with the highest point approximately 7 m below the surface. This took approximately 6-8 s to complete, with the kite flying at speeds of 2.5-5.5 m/s. This kite had a nacelle mounted below the wing, with a nine-bladed ducted turbine at the front and the control surfaces at the rear.[8]

Testing continues in Strangford Lough, focusing on 3 m wingspan prototypes.[9] In 2022, Minesto set up a framework agreement with two local marine service companies to support their activities.[10]

Holyhead Deep[edit]

In 2014, Minesto was awarded a seabed lease agreement from The Crown Estate for a 10 MW project in the Holyhead Deep.[11][12] This is a depression in the Irish Sea to the west of the West Anglesey Demonstration Zone, now the Morlais site. It is approximately 6.5 km offshore, and was consented by Natural Resources Wales in April 2017.[13]

In 2017, Minesto submitted a scoping report for an 80 MW tidal kite array to be developed at the Holyhead Deep site. Although the company have a lease agreement for a 10 MW array, they state that the larger array would be more economical, with the levelized cost of electricity reduced by half.[12]

Between July and November 2018 the company tested a 500 kW Deep Green DG500 prototype of their tidal kite device in the Holyhead Deep.[14][15] The turbine was connected to a buoy which analysed the power produced, but it was not connected to the GB Grid.[16] In August 2019, Minesto redeployed the Deep Green DG500 turbine in the Holyhead Deep for further testing.[17]

The gravity base structure the kite was tethered onto was located at 53°17′49.8″N 4°47′57.3″W / 53.297167°N 4.799250°W / 53.297167; -4.799250 (Minesto Holyhead Deep).[18]

Minesto again announced plans in September 2021 to develop the Holygead Deep tidal array, proposing to install a 1.2 MW by the end of 2022.[19] However, by March 2022 they decided to focus on their projects in the Faroe Islands, citing "supply chain issues".[20]

Faroe Islands[edit]

Two 100 kW Dragon 4 turbines were installed at Vestmannasund in the Faroe Islands in 2022, supplying electricity to the local grid via SEV.[21] These have a 4.9 m wingspan, 1.3 m diameter rotor, and weigh 2.7 tonnes.[22] They are tethered to the seabed by a 40 m long cable.[23]

In November 2023, Minesto shipped a 1.2 MW Dragon 12 turbine manufactured and tested in Sweden to the Faroes.[24] This weighs 28 tonnes, has a wingspan of 12 m, and a turbine diameter of 3.5 m.[25] In January 2024, the grid connection was installed for this and the launch and recovery system (LARS) tested.[26][27] In February 2024, Minesto announced the Dragon 12 was successfully deployed and connected to the Faroes grid.[28]

The company have plans to build four arrays of 20–40 MW, totaling 120 MW in the Faroe Islands, reportedly supplying 40% of the islands electricity demand.[29] In February 2024, they announced more ambitious plans for 200 MW to be developed, targetting Hestfjord for the next project.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Contact". Minesto. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Minesto's Holyhead Assembly Hall is now fully operational". Marine Energy Wales. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Swedish tidal energy firm Minesto to fly underwater kite in Taiwanese waters". DIGITIMES. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Genuth, Iddo (19 November 2013). "Deep Green – Underwater Kite Producing Electricity Tested in Northern Ireland". TFOT. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ^ Rayner, Tristan (5 September 2018). "How Minesto's Underwater Planes Are Plugging Into Untapped Tidal Energy". Digital for Good | RESET.ORG. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  6. ^ Malayil, Jijo (10 November 2023). "Massive Swedish tidal kite, 1.2MW Dragon 12 tests ready for operation". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  7. ^ Edwards, Lin; Phys.org. "Deep Green underwater kite to generate electricity (w/ Video)". phys.org. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ^ Schmitt, Pál; Pine, Matthew K.; Culloch, Ross M.; Lieber, Lilian; Kregting, Louise T. (1 November 2018). "Noise characterization of a subsea tidal kite". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 144 (5): EL441–EL446. doi:10.1121/1.5080268. ISSN 0001-4966.
  9. ^ "Strangford Lough test and demonstration site". Minesto. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  10. ^ Garanovic, Amir (15 February 2022). "Minesto hires tidal test support crew". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Crown Estate approves seabed rights for new wave and tidal current projects". International Water Power and Dam Construction. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Minesto aims to boost the capacity of its Holyhead Deep project to 80MW". www.imeche.org. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. ^ "World-first Anglesey 'sea kite' tidal project approved". BBC News. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Minesto Holyhead Deep - Non-grid connected DG500". tethys.pnnl.gov. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  15. ^ McCue, Dan (29 May 2018). "Second Phase of Holyhead Deep Installation Now Complete". Renewable Energy Magazine. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  16. ^ Harris, Michael (5 June 2018). "Minesto's Holyhead Deep tidal generating site ready to begin production". Hydro Review. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Minesto flies Wales tidal kite". ReNEWS.biz. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Deep Green Project: Installation Operations, August 2019 | AWJ Marine". www.awjmarine.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  19. ^ Chandler, Matthew (20 September 2021). "New underwater power plant set to be installed along Anglesey coastline". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  20. ^ Hughes, Owen (18 March 2022). "'Supply chain delays' hit plan for new underwater power plants off Anglesey this year". Business Live. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  21. ^ Garanovic, Amir (7 September 2022). "Minesto starts commissioning second 'Dragon 4' tidal power plant". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  22. ^ "Dragon 4". Minesto. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  23. ^ "The underwater 'kites' generating electricity as they move". BBC News. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  24. ^ Garanovic, Amir (9 November 2023). "Minesto's 1.2MW tidal energy device on its way to Faroe Islands". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Dragon 12". Minesto. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  26. ^ Maksumic, Zerina (9 January 2024). "Minesto's utility-scale tidal energy kite ready to start delivering". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  27. ^ Maksumic, Zerina (11 January 2024). "Minesto performs launch and recovery for megawatt-scale tidal energy kite". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  28. ^ "28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid". New Atlas. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  29. ^ Garanovic, Amir (13 April 2022). "Minesto outlines tidal array build-out plan to bolster energy transition of the Faroe Islands". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Minesto upgrades Faroe tidal plan to 200MW". ReNEWS.biz. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
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