The two companies have been selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for ocean energy research.
NEDO has been working since 2011 in encouraging R&D projects in ocean energy power generation technologies in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions in Japan.
IHI and Toshiba will test the floating turbine system in a real ocean environment until 2017.
The project will help the companies prove the feasibility of the generation of ocean energy power, to create an industry framework.
The underwater floating type ocean current turbine system is a power generation device which uses two counter-rotating turbines and is anchored to the sea floor.
For the current research, IHI as the lead company will manufacture the turbine and floating body. Toshiba will supply electric devices such as the generator and transformer.
Since 2011, IHI and Toshiba along with the University of Tokyo and Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute, have conducted R&D of Ocean Energy Technology – R&D of Next-Generation Ocean Energy Power Generation (Underwater Floating Type Ocean Current Turbine System).
Image: Underwater floating type ocean current turbine system. Photo: courtesy of IHI Corporation.
