Operation started at 1.2 GW tidal powerplant in Denmark

Minesto, a leading ocean energy developer announced that it has successfully commissioned its 1.2 MW utility-scale tidal powerplant Dragon 12 located in the Faroe Islands, Denmark. The tidal powerplant generated its first electricity in the early morning of February 9, and delivered to the national grid in the Faroe Islands. 

It features Launch and Recovery System (LARS) technology. The project consists of a 12 m wide and 28-ton heavy subsea kite, anchored with a tether to the seabed, which is steered in an 8-shaped flight trajectory powered by the tidal flow. The turbines will be rotated by ocean currents, which is a more predictable way of generating renewable energy compared to wind and solar. Minesto highlights that water flow direction and rate can easily be predicted, given their regularity. Dragon 12 is a 10-times scale-up (from the existing 100 kW Dragon 4) that delivers competitive performance and cost-levels for build-out of large-scale commercial subsea parks of tidal powerplants.

The Faroe Islands have set a target to source all of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2030.