The AR500 turbine is awaiting installation in waters off the Goto Islands, Japan.
A tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland was installed in the waters of a chain of Japanese islands, representing the most recent example of how the East Asian country is investigating the potential of marine forms of energy production.
In a statement on Monday, Simec Atlantis Energy, listed in London, said its pilot turbine generated 10 megawatt hours in the first 10 days of operation.
The AR500 turbine was assembled at a facility in Scotland before being shipped to Japan, where it was installed in the waters of Naru Island, which is part of the largest Goto Island chain.
According to SAE, the general project involves the rental of tidal generation equipment, as well as the provision of offshore construction services for the Japanese company Kyuden Mirai Energy.
SAE CEO Graham Reid described the facility as a “major milestone for the deployment of clean, renewable tidal energy and we hope it will be the first of many tidal turbines installed in Japan”.
Monday’s news sets the latest example of how companies in Japan, an island nation with thousands of kilometers of coastline, are turning to projects focused on tidal and wave energy.
In January, it was announced that shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines would partner with a company called Bombora Wave Power to explore potential project sites in Japan and surrounding regions.
The collaboration between MOL based in Tokyo and Bombora will focus on finding possible locations for the latter’s mWave system, as well as hybrid projects that combine mWave and wind power.
In simple terms, the technology developed by Bombora – which has offices in the United Kingdom and Australia – is based on the idea of using rubber membrane “cells” that are filled with air and embedded in a submerged structure.
According to a company video describing how its system works, when waves pass over the system, its “flexible rubber membrane design pumps air through a turbine to generate electricity”.
The International Energy Agency describes marine technologies as having “great potential”, but adds that extra political support is needed for research, design and development in order to “enable the cost savings that come with commissioning larger commercial plants. “
For its part, Japan says it wants renewable energies to represent 22% to 24% of its energy matrix by 2030.
Last October, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the country would target zero net greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. In 2030, Japan wants a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by comparison to 2013.
However, there is still work to be done for the country to achieve its objectives. In 2019, its Natural Resources and Energy Agency said the country was “largely dependent on fossil fuels” like coal, oil and liquefied natural gas.