The AR500 turbine is awaiting installation in waters off the Goto Islands, Japan.
A tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland has been installed in waters off a Japanese island chain, which is the latest example of how the country in East Asia is exploring the potential of marine-based forms of energy production.
In a statement on Monday, London-based firm Simec Atlantis Energy said its pilot turbine produced 10 megawatts in the first ten working days.
The AR500 turbine was assembled at a facility in Scotland before being shipped to Japan, where it was installed in waters off Naru Island, which is part of the larger Goto Island chain.
According to SAE, the overall project involves the rental of equipment for generating tides as well as the provision of foreign construction services to the Japanese company Kyuden Mirai Energy.
SAE CEO Graham Reid described the installation as a “major milestone for the deployment of clean, renewable energy from the tidal current and we hope it will be the first of the tidal turbines in Japan.”
Monday’s news is the latest example of how companies in Japan, an island nation with thousands of miles of coastline, are turning to tidal and wave energy projects.
In January, it was announced that shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines will partner with a company called Bombora Wave Power to offer potential project sites in Japan and surrounding regions.
The collaboration between the MOL and Bombora with the head office in Tokyo will focus on finding possible locations for the latter’s mWave system, as well as hybrid projects that combine mWave and wind energy.
In simple terms, the technology developed by Bombora – which has offices in the UK and Australia – is based on the idea of using rubber membrane “cells” filled with air and mounted in an underwater structure.
According to a video from the company describing how its system works, as waves move across the system, the “flexible rubber membrane design pumps air through a turbine to generate electricity.”
The International Energy Agency describes marine technologies as ‘great potential’, but adds that extra policy support is needed for research, design and development to ‘enable the cost savings associated with commissioning larger commercial plants.’
In turn, Japan says it wants renewable energy to be up to 22% to 24% by 2030.
Last October, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the country would envisage a net greenhouse gas emission by 2050. By 2030, Japan wants a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2013.
However, there is still work to be done for the country to achieve its goals. In 2019, his agency for natural resources and energy said the country was “largely dependent on fossil fuels” such as coal, oil and liquefied natural gas.