Tidal kites for better energy harvesting in the tide

Flying kites is no longer a child’s play. It will soon be used to harvest tidal energy. Well, if you’re scratching your brains trying to get what this means, get a hold of this. A Swedish based firm, Minesto, is setting up what is known as tidal kites somewhere off the coast of Northern Ireland. They however aren’t disclosing the location, taken that a prototype is being installed to check feasibility of the project.

So how does a tidal kite work? These light weight turbines, with rudders and generators are tethered to the bottom of the sea and can move about in the ocean freely, grabbing the best currents and maximizing energy output. Unlike normal tidal generators, these can operate in deep water sites with low tidal velocities better. The firm plans to set up a 200 to 500 kW project by the year 2013. High flying kites like these are sure to push the tidal energy generation industry up a few notches.
[BusinessGreen]