In the wake of the devastating nuclear meltdown at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, officials have been searching for new sources of green energy.
A heavy machinery maker in Japan called IHI Corp has successfully tested a prototype of a massive, airplane-sized turbine that can generate electricity from powerful deep sea ocean currents.
The company's newest prototype is 330 tons. The entire apparatus can be anchored to the sea floor between 100 and 160 feet below the surface with the help of two counter-rotating turbine fans.
It pulls energy from one of the world's strongest ocean currents off the eastern coast of Japan and uses it to spin its mighty turbine.
Around 100 kilowatts of stable power was generated during demonstrations earlier this year. IHI Corp hopes to be able to start commercial operations in the 2030s, with the goal of generating twomegawatts during future tests, according to the report.
Tidal power, ocean thermal energy conversion, and other ways to generate energy from the sea are being explored by Japan.
It is not easy for engineers to scale the operation to a point where it makes economic sense.
The biggest issue for ocean current turbine is whether they could produce a device that would generate power economically out of currents that are not particularly strong.
There is hope of endless green power in the giant deep ocean turbine trial.
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