It has been named Kairyu. Its name is also kept on the same lines, which means sea wave. Its structure is 20 meters long, which is in the shape of an airplane. It is surrounded by two cylinders and both are of equal size. Each cylinder is fitted with a power generation system which is connected to an 11 meter tall turbine blade.
It is manufactured by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries, also known as IHI Corporation. The company had been experimenting with it for more than 10 years. In 2017, it partnered with the New Energy Industrial Technology Development Organization to test its concept.
The firm will complete a 3.5-year long underwater test in the Sea of South Western Japan in February 2022. It is being said about the machine that it will start its work in 2030. The device has been designed in such a way that it will automatically detect which is the most suitable place to generate power. Japan relies on imported fossil fuels to generate most of its power.
Japan has a long sea coast. The ocean rotates eastward under the power of the North Pacific Cyclone. When this cyclone meets Japan, it forms the Kuroshio Current, which is a powerful current. IHI estimates that if the energy contained in this current could be harnessed, it could generate about 205 gigawatts of electricity, roughly equal to the country’s current power generation capacity.
The Kairu is designed to swim 50 meters below the waves. When it moves along the shore being pulled along by the waves, it creates the necessary torque for the turbine. Each blade rotates in the opposite direction to keep the machine stable.
Kairu is said to produce 100 kilowatts of power at a flow of two to four knots (about one to two meters per second). When compared to the 3.6 megawatts of wind turbines installed off the coast, this seems very small.