Minesto gives wings to Doosan Babcock

Swedish tidal energy developer Minesto has hired an engineering company Doosan Babcock to test a wing section of its Deep Green tidal technology.

Doosan Babcock will in its facilities conduct the accelerated life testing on Minesto’s composite wing section, simulating real ocean conditions.

The test specimen is approximately 1.5 meters long, and Doosan Babcock will subject it to the forces of several Meganewtons to test fatigue loads and ultimate limit strength of the wing.

Patrik Pettersson, Development Engineer at Minesto, said: “We have made a small part of the wing structure for this testing, using the same tools, materials, and manufacturer as for the main wing. This was done because we wanted to ensure that our calculations agree with reality, and that the wing has the desired physical properties.”

The testing will be completed ahead of deployment of the 500kW Deep Green tidal power plant, set to take place later this year off the coast of Anglesey in Wales.

To remind, Minesto selected Green Marine from Southampton to supply it with its first commercial-scale wing for Deep Green tidal kite back in January 2017. The full-scale wing spans 12 meters between the wing tips, and has a chord of 3.3 meters.

As reported earlier, Minesto recently secured a marine license from the Welsh government’s regulator Natural Resources Wales for the installation and operation of Deep Green tidal plant.

The plant will feature a single Deep Green tidal device that produces power when the water current creates a hydrodynamic lift force on the wing which pushes the kite forward. It will also include a seabed foundation and a buoy moored at surface.