Minesto Dragon 12
A few days ago, Minesto completed an ambitious and promising project in the field of alternative energy. Its 1.20 MW Dragon 12 underwater energy harvesting plant has not only been put into operation, but has also begun to supply energy to the Faroe Islands power grid. Unlike existing projects, the company has applied a non-standard approach, which has resulted in much better performance.
Externally, the installation looks like a giant military drone or a kite. It works by using the lifting force created by the rising tidal currents. Thanks to this, Dragon 12 develops speeds that exceed the speeds of underwater currents. He "flies in the water", the currents act on him in the same way as the wind acts on kites. The developers point to an important advantage of the design – the energy of the lunar tides is more predictable than the energy of the Sun and wind.
Minesto Dragon 12
The Dragon weighs 28 tons and has a wingspan of 12 meters. It must be completely disassembled before being delivered to the installation site. But the installation does not require significant effort – a relatively small boat and a strong bottom cable are enough. The cost of 1 MW of energy at the time of launch will be $ 108, but will decrease to $ 54 after the first 100 MW are delivered to the power grid. The Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark, and the North Atlantic archipelago between Scotland and Iceland are the ideal area to use such an installation.
Alexander Kozyrev