Minesto, a spin-off of the Swedish-based Saab Group, has a new approach to harnessing tidal energy – underwater kites.   They have recently raised an excessive of €2 million in new capital to test the company’s underwater kite generator design, Deep Green, off the coast of Northern Ireland.

Deep Green Tidal Kites: The Newest Underwater Green Energy Initiative

Essentially, the Deep Green tidal kites will be tethered to the ocean floor and, using kinetic energy and automatic rudders, will fly in figure eights with the oceanic tides. Because water is eight hundred times as dense as air, these kites technically could produce eight hundred times the energy as wind turbines. Eventually, tidal kite farms could significantly increase green energy across the world if Minesto is successful.

So, what’s the next step? Well, the company plans to tether a prototype kite off the coast of Ireland in 2011, presuming all the tests run smoothly for the remainder of 2010 . This plan comes on the heels of the company’s having received funding from a Saab, Midroc New Technology, and BGA Invest, in addition to other private investors. Barring any problems, the company will then put a test farm off the coast of Ireland in 2012 and connect it to the Northern Ireland grid. Chief Executive of Minesto, Anders Jansson, hopes to eventually expand service to all of Ireland.