Faroese utility grid company SEV, in collaboration with Swedish marine energy developer Minesto, is to install the world’s first tidal energy park based on a network of underwater kites, SEV announced.
The plan is to have a total of 24 kites set up in the area of sea between the islands Streymoy and Hestur, the head of Research and Development at SEV, Terji Nielsen, told public broadcaster KvF.
“The system will hopefully be completed in the summer of 2024, assuming we receive all the necessary permits,” Mr. Nielsen said. “This is a large project however, we’re starting out with four kites and then we’ll proceed to expand over three distinct phases as we monitor the process.”
The annual energy production from the tidal energy park is expected to amount to 84 GWh, or about one-fifth of the total energy usage of the Faroes, enough to power 16,000 homes.
According to Minesto, “site development of the world’s first tidal energy kite array in Hestfjord, Faroe Islands, is efficiently progressing according to plan. The total planned capacity of the array is about 30 MW, including twenty-four kite systems at 1.2 MW each. The annual yield of the site is estimated to be 84 GWh, which is equivalent of 20 percent of the total Faroese energy consumption in 2021.”
“The assessment work undertaken covers all aspects of the site development, including environmental assessment studies, and the infield cable routing and grid connection works,” Minesto added. “The focus ahead is to finalize the installation configuration of the first four kites forming the first 5 MW phase, as well as securing onshore service assets.”
According to Minesto CEO Martin Edlund, “local conditions are highly favorable for a first-of-a-kind installation … [with] the potential to contribute to a substantial part of Torshavn’s energy supply.”
