A kite with a three-meter wingspan has just started to produce electricity in a pilot project off the coast of Northern Ireland.
The technology, dubbed Deep Green, consists of a wing with a gearless turbine mounted underneath that is tethered to the ocean floor. As the tide flows over the wing, it glides through the water and the turbine rotates. The tether also contains the unit’s power and communication cables. For the pilot, there is an offshore control room in the inlet. The kites don’t just float along anywhere they please—operators send them along a controlled trajectory to maximize energy output.
via IEEE Spectrum
