Japan, here is the ocean turbine that supplies energy to the country – Idealist / News

In Japan an amount of solar and wind power What can be obtained through natural resources is not enough to meet the demand of the country, so it is necessary to find Other renewable sources to reduce CO2 emissions, In this sense, it is interesting to exploit the possibilities given byocean energyWhich is more than other countries.

Ken TakagioA professor of ocean technology policy at the University of Tokyo explained a bloomberg: “In Japan, ocean currents have an advantage in terms of access.” Adding: “Wind power is geographically more suited to Europe, which is exposed to winds and located in higher latitudes.”

such is the company IHI Corpspecializing in mechanical products, launched a new model of ocean turbine which will be operated by Kuroshio sea current, Also known as the “Black River”, it is one of the strongest ocean currents in the world And thanks to this, the turbine can generate enough energy to continuously supply the country.

caryu model Its design is similar to that of an airplane and is 20 meters in length and 20 meters in wingspan. It weighs about 330 tonnes and has two large propellers on top of its wings that spin in opposite directions. Turbines are designed to work anchored on the ocean floorBetween 30 and 50 meters deep.

The design of this structure is similar to orbital turbine, which is located in Scotland and is the largest in the world. After three years of sea trials off the Tokara Islands in the country’s southwest, IHI and NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) have finally called off the process.

In the final stages, both companies managed to keep the turbines within the Kuroshio streams, without the need to be towed by the vessel that was originally attached. Currently, the device can generate up to 100 kW of static electricity, and the company is working to increase this to two megawatts. Marketing is expected in 2030,

Disadvantages of using this turbine

before you start using it as source of energy Stable in Japan, it’s important to consider a few constraints.

First, its cost Solar and wind power generation In the country since it aims to generate energy at the rate of 20 yen (0.14 Euro) per kilowatt hour.

In addition, there is the problem of transplanting it into the sea Since, according to Takagi, it is difficult to build a system strong enough to withstand currents on the ocean floor and achieve low costs for its maintenance, because unlike Europe, “Japan has little experience in offshore construction”.

Japan’s attempt to find sustainable energy options This has also been observed on other fronts, such as ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) by which the temperature difference between the surface and sea level is used to generate energy.

confirmed by bloombergTransport company Mitsui ORK Lines has invested in British company Bombora Wave Power to test the technology in both Japan and Europe. According to the company’s marketing director Yaso Suzuki, the demonstration of this technology began in April in Okinawa with a capacity of 100 kW. Clearly, progress can be made in developing OTEC technology in the country, thanks to changes the government has made to offshore wind power auctions.