Feasibility Ameland TidalKite Power Plant (FAMTIPP) is a project supported by NESOI European Islands Facility, managed by our partners from R2M, and promoted by SeaQurrent.

What is FAMTIPP?

FAMTIPP is developing a tidal kite to exploit sea flows. It was initially designed as it was considered a very promising technology for a variety of reasons (e.g., lack of intermittency as with wind or solar, improved aesthetic compared to big wind turbines in the middle of the island, etc.).

Ameland’s ambition is to be a frontrunner in the energy transition. To increase the renewable energy share in Ameland, FAMTIPP will contribute to market entry of the TidalKite technology by studying the technical feasibility of a pre-commercial scale installation. The project will ultimately deliver 1MW, from an array of 2 TidalKite units, in the Borndiep near the island of Ameland. There, a demo project at TRL6 is already ongoing to test a TidalKite system.

The first challenge of FAMTIPP is providing the business case to local stakeholders, and to overcome this challenge, a local finance boutique was engaged as one of the project participants which had a positive result, as they were able to show the local benefits. Another challenge is understanding the auditory impact on nature resultant from underwater sound and enabling mitigation of negative influence on sea life behaviour.

Tidal power is not visible nor audible above water. This contributes to the societal acceptance compared to wind and solar. The communities have lived with the water, from what the sea offers, survived the storms, and have a strong sense of self-reliance. The community support for renewable energy generation in general, and from the sea specifically is very high.

FAMTIPP: Harnessing tidal energy

The tide is very predictable and offers daily available sustainable energy. It also has minimal impact on the landscape. Compared with tidal turbines, tidal kites can cover a larger area in more shallow waters. This enables to exploit sites with a lower velocity, as the amount of tidal energy that can be utilised depends on the area covered and velocity of the water.

The Borndiep flow channel is suitable for the production of tidal energy, since there is a strong current and sufficient depth. The channel has served as a test site for TidalKite units, but it is estimated that up to 20 of these units can be installed there to produce renewable energy. In the FAMTIPP project, two TidalKites with a rated power of 500 kWp each will be deployed in the channel of Borndiep at a distance of 200–300 m from the shoreline. The tidal variation in Borndiep reaches 2.5 m at spring tide, causing operational currents up to 1.6 m/s.

The TidalKite system is comprised of a TidalKite that is connected to the power take-off (PTO) system. The PTO is fixed to the seabed and electricity is distributed to shore by an underwater electric export cable. The TidalKite itself is a single rigid device. The kite wings capture the water flow, accelerating the kite through the water. The kite creates a lift force that is transferred to the PTO, which converts that force to clean electricity is generated.

How does NESOI Support this project?

The European Islands Facility (NESOI) aims to unlock the potential of EU islands to become the locomotives of the European Energy Transition. To do so, NESOI aims to mobilize more than €100 Million of investment in sustainable energy projects to give EU islands the opportunity to implement energy technologies and innovative approaches, in a cost-competitive way.

 More specifically, NESOI has provided the following support:

• Feasibility analysis of a pre-commercial scale TidalKite project
• Risk and vulnerability assessment and identification of available mitigation strategies
• Identification of measures to reach the defined objectives and key project sizing drivers
• Mapping of the main financial instruments available to finance the identified actions
• Action plan and monitoring system, allocation of responsibilities for its implementation
• Support in participatory processes and drafting of a clean energy transition agenda (CETA)
• Technical support in communication and dissemination of the results

READ MORE INFORMATION IN THE DEDICATED PROJECT BROCHURE