Kairyu, the system by which Japan intends to obtain unlimited energy

In the depths of the ocean, in every underground wave, there is an energy source very different from any other. And to take advantage of this Japanese engineers have built a beast that can withstand the strongest ocean currents and turn their flow into boundless energy.

IHI Corporation has been dedicated to the technology needed for more than a decade and partnered with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in 2017 to test its developments.

In February, the project passed a major milestone with the completion of a successful three and a half year field trial in the waters off the southwest coast of Japan.. Undoubtedly, the oceans are an indispensable source of life.

The 330-ton prototype is called Kairyu.a word that roughly translates to “ocean current”. Its design consists of a 20-meter fuselage surrounded by a pair of cylinders of the same size.and each contains a power generation system attached to an 11-meter turbine blade.

Tied to the bottom of the ocean with an anchor line and power cables, device can be oriented to find the most efficient position to generate power from deep current thrustand send it to the electrical network.

Japan is a country heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports for much of its energy production. After the Fukushima accident in 2011, public attitudes towards nuclear power deteriorated, so Japan is forced to use renewable energy sources.

Unfortunately, there is little room in the mountainous Japanese archipelago for vast forests of wind turbines or fields of solar panels.. Being far from neighboring countries, it is also difficult to obtain energy through commercial agreements.

Fortunately, they lack shores and water. And because of the position of the country under their feet, they have some of the most powerful currents in the marine world, hence the efforts of the Japanese to use this boundless energy that is so close to them.

IHI calculated that if the energy present in the current could be harnessed, about 205 gigawatts of electricity could be generated. an amount that he says is equivalent to the country’s current energy production.

This huge amount of energy in the movement of the ocean also makes it so difficult to use as an energy source. The fastest waters are near the surface, where typhoons can easily destroy power plants.

The Kairyu was designed to swim about 50 meters below the waves: floating to the surface, the resistance created provides the turbines with the necessary torque. Each of the blades also rotates in the opposite direction, which makes the device relatively stable.

At a speed of two to four knots (about one to two meters per second) Kairyu is capable of producing a total of 100 kilowatts of electricity. Compared to the 3.6 megawatts of an average offshore wind turbine, this may not sound like much.

But with proven success in resisting what nature might throw at him, Kairyu may soon have a monster brother that spins 20-meter turbines to generate a more respectable 2 megawatts.

If all goes according to plan, we could see a generator farm powering the grid sometime in the next decade. It remains to be seen if Kairyu can scale up and become the chosen one to give Japan pure and infinite energy.

ocean energyexplain at IHI Corporation, can provide 40% to 70% of Japan’s energy needs.