By : Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, June 7, 2022
A giant underwater turbine that harnesses deep ocean currents and converts them into a source of electricity is the Kairyu Turbine, a system that could provide unlimited, renewable energy regardless of wind or sun.
Like other nations, most of Japan’s investment in renewable energy has gone into wind and solar power. The Asian country is already the third largest generator of solar power in the world and is investing heavily in offshore wind power.
According to Bloomberg, Japanese heavy equipment manufacturer IHI Corp has been developing this giant aircraft-like turbine for more than a decade, with two fans rotating countercurrently and a central fuselage with air-tightening system. buoyancy.
The 330-tonne prototype, which has already been successfully tested, is designed to be anchored to the seabed at a depth of 30 to 50 meters. The plan is to place it in the Kuroshio current, which runs along the east coast of Japan and is one of the strongest in the world, and to transmit the power through cables on the seabed.
“Ocean currents have a huge advantage in terms of their accessibility in Japan,” said Ken Takagi, a professor of ocean technology policy at the University of Tokyo. “Wind power is geographically more suitable for Europe, which is exposed to westerly winds and is located at higher latitudes.”
But, despite its alternatives from renewable sources, the entire Eurozone suffered an annual increase in prices in May that was driven by high energy costs, which reached 39.2% (compared to 37.5% in April). . The rise was exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, as exports are blocked and Western countries scramble to reduce their reliance on Russian gas.
Photo : IHI Corp./NEDO
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