Tidal energy could provide access to round-the-clock renewable electricity for the Faroe Islands.
That’s according to a recent study that projects power demand for the archipelago to increase to 600GW by 2030 – the island nation is on track to achieve 100% renewable electricity generation by 2030.
The study notes that tidal energy could generate up to 200MW of installed capacity and allow a shift from ‘unpredictable’ renewable sources such as hydro, solar and wind.
The Faroe Islands archipelago consists of 18 major islands, allowing turbines to be installed at different locations to allow 24/7 access to clean electricity.
The islands’ electric utility company SEV is working with Swedish marine energy developer Minesto to launch a pilot project of two grid-connected turbines, in a bid to add tidal wave energy to Faroe Islands’ energy generation.
Marine energy developer Minesto has signed a PPA with Faroe Islands utility SEV to integrate tidal power into the islands’ electricity mix.
The PPA covers the planned installations of two 100kW ‘subsea kite’ systems in the Vestmannasund strait and an additional 2MW capacity allocated for future installations of utility-scale tidal energy systems.
The long-term ambition is the large-scale deployment of tidal energy, with potentially as much as 70MW of new capacity to be installed – this would help the Faroe Islands reach their goal of sourcing all of their power from renewable energy sources by 2030, including transport and heating.
Dr Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto said: “We are pleased to advance our collaboration with SEV. In the Faroe Islands, we are part of one of the most ambitious energy transition schemes in the world.
“It is an ideal context to show how ocean energy from our unique technology complements solar and wind power to create a sustainable energy system.”
Marine energy developer Minesto and its collaboration partner, the Faroese electric utility company SEV have been granted all necessary permits and consents for the installation of two grid-connected tidal kite systems in Faroe Islands.
The permits and consents cover two DG100 tidal kite systems which will be installed off the coast of the Faroe Islands, as the outcome of the collaboration between Minesto and SEV.
Minesto has been granted €3.5 million (£3m) funding through the EU’s EIC Accelerator and the Swedish Energy Agency for the deployment of the project and the development of the DG100 marine energy converter.
Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto, said: “We have had great support by SEV and the Faroese authorities to reach this crucial achievement. SEV has made terrific work to secure all necessary permits for our first installations in the Faroe Islands through a very efficient process.”
