SeaQurrent, a company based in the Frisian town of Grou, will begin tests this week in the Wadden Sea to capture energy from the changing tides.
Translation by Traci White
Omrop Fryslân reports that the TidalKite, which was created by Youri Wentzel at SeaQurrent, resembles a kite – two devices are attached to strings which stretch in the direction of the currents – and captures the kinetic energy created by the ebb and flow of the tides in the Wadden Sea.
“The kite will be situated at a spot where there are strong currents,” Wentzel told the Frisian broadcaster. “It operates on a similar principle to wind turbines, which generate more energy in areas with windy conditions.” The TidalKite can generate around 500 kilowatts of energy from the sustainable source of tidal energy: the average amount of energy used by a Dutch household per year is 3,500kWh.
Over the coming weeks, the prototypes will be used at two sites in the waters near the town of Cornwerd, which is where the Frisian side of the Afsluitdijk begins. The tests will be carried out near the deeper waterways used by ships. Wentzel says that the company’s goal is to bring the product to the market by 2020.
Photo source: Seaqurrent
