Buildings in Singapore at sunset. Asia is already home to many tidal power projects.
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Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kaisha will participate in a tidal power project planned for Singapore, as the emerging marine energy sector is gaining traction.
The demonstration project, operated by Singapore-owned Bluenergy Solutions, focuses on off-grid tidal power development systems. Hopefully they can one day replace diesel generators.
The scheme will see three-blade turbines – their components are similar to those used in wind farms – deployed underwater.
NYK says it will work on three areas as part of the off-grid project: energy storage, generation costs, and efficiency of power generation.
Founded in 1885, Tokyo-listed NYK is engaged in bulk shipping, air freight and logistics, among many others.
Last week’s announcement represents its latest foray into tidal power. It was previously involved in a project to install turbines beneath the Sentosa Boardwalk, which connects mainland Singapore to Sentosa Island.
Projects like the one being planned for Singapore are in their early stages, but Asia is already home to South Korea’s Sihwa Tidal Power Plant. A tidal dam power station, which began operations in 2011 and is said to be the largest tidal power plant in the world.
According to the US database Tethys, tidal barges are “typically built over the entrance to a bay or estuary” and produce electricity by exploiting “differences in the elevation of the water inside and outside”. structure.”
While tidal dam development was an early focus for marine energy players – EDF’s La Rance tidal dam, for example, dates back to the 1960s – recent years have seen such developments. companies focus their attention on different systems.
These include tidal current devices that, says the European Center for Marine Energy, are “generally similar to submersible wind turbines.”
Lots of potential, work to be done
The International Energy Agency has said that “maritime technologies have great potential”, but added that more policy support for research, development and demonstration is needed to reduce costs.
Away from Asia, Europe’s tidal and wave power capacity installations have skyrocketed in 2021, as deployment returns to pre-pandemic levels amid a significant increase in investment.
In March, Ocean Energy Europe said 2.2 megawatts of tidal stream capacity had been installed in Europe last year, compared with just 260 kilowatts in 2020. As for wave power, 681 kilowatts were installed in Europe by 2021, which OEE says is tripled by 2020. .
Globally, 1.38 MW of wave power has been commissioned by 2021, while 3.12 MW of tidal stream capacity has been installed.
While there is excitement about the potential of marine energy, the overall scale of tidal and wave projects is still very small compared to other renewables.
In 2021 alone, Europe installed 17.4 gigawatts of wind capacity, according to data from industry body WindEurope.
