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How on earth can such a small device generate so much energy? Wouldn't 1.2 MW of power make it very brittle just like a real kite? Or else why not scale it up a

How on earth can such a small device generate so much energy? Wouldn't 1.2 MW of power make it very brittle just like a real kite? Or else why not scale it up and make one 100 times larger that generates 120 MW of power? Since tidal currents are much more reliable (I think) than offshore wind it almost seem to good to be true. There has to be a catch.

KaiserPro 3y ago
The speed of the tide between those islands is something like 5-6mph, and in some places much much higher (think tens of miles an hour). Water is 800 times more dense, so moving water contains much much much more kinetic energy when its moving. But that also means it has a lot more drag. That drag can be quadratic, meaning that you'd need to a monster fucking cable to stop it being dragged away by the tide.
- arethuza 3y ago
  The Grey Dogs channel between the Scottish islands of Lunga and Scarba has a peak flow of about 15km/h with large standing waves - quite incredible to watch this up close and watch the sea shooting past!
  - Super_Jambo 3y ago
    And of course some lunatics will go and find a way to have fun in them! Here's a sea kayaker at Penrhyn Mawr off Anglesey in Wales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5o7qV1Gy04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5o7qV1Gy04
    - btbuildem 3y ago
      Looks like fun! FPV [1] and drone footage [2] 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo28x0CYBaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo28x0CYBaA 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehN9c7WfLMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehN9c7WfLMI
      - arethuza 3y ago
        Here is a video from a boat in the Grey Dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFG7x6rrKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFG7x6rrKw Definitely not somewhere I would want to fall in!
deleted 3y ago
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rsynnott 3y ago
> There has to be a catch. I'd wonder how long it'll last; it's a very harsh environment. That said, there's a lot of energy available. It may be that lots of small units like this will be more practical than one big one.

KaiserPro 3y ago

The speed of the tide between those islands is something like 5-6mph, and in some places much much higher (think tens of miles an hour). Water is 800 times more dense, so moving water contains much much much more kinetic energy when its moving. But that also means it has a lot more drag. That drag can be quadratic, meaning that you'd need to a monster fucking cable to stop it being dragged away by the tide.

arethuza 3y ago
The Grey Dogs channel between the Scottish islands of Lunga and Scarba has a peak flow of about 15km/h with large standing waves - quite incredible to watch this up close and watch the sea shooting past!
- Super_Jambo 3y ago
  And of course some lunatics will go and find a way to have fun in them! Here's a sea kayaker at Penrhyn Mawr off Anglesey in Wales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5o7qV1Gy04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5o7qV1Gy04
  - btbuildem 3y ago
    Looks like fun! FPV [1] and drone footage [2] 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo28x0CYBaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo28x0CYBaA 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehN9c7WfLMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehN9c7WfLMI
    - arethuza 3y ago
      Here is a video from a boat in the Grey Dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFG7x6rrKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFG7x6rrKw Definitely not somewhere I would want to fall in!

deleted 3y ago

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rsynnott 3y ago

> There has to be a catch. I'd wonder how long it'll last; it's a very harsh environment. That said, there's a lot of energy available. It may be that lots of small units like this will be more practical than one big one.