Tim Ecott is a writer.
Trshavn is a business reporter.
The image is from Minesto.
The image caption is.
The kites are tethered to the water.
The dark waters of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic are home to two sleek, winged machines.
The "sea dragons" are high-tech tidal turbines that generate electricity from the power of the ocean.
The two kites move underwater in a figure-of-eight pattern, absorbing energy from the running tide. They are connected to the fjord by cables.
Their movement is created by the force of air and water flowing over their heads.
The kites are different from other forms of tidal power.
The kite can sweep a larger area at a faster rate than the underwater current thanks to the moving flight path. The machines can amplify the amount of energy generated by the water alone.
An on-board computer steers the kite into the prevailing current, then shuts it down at slack tide, maintaining a constant depth in the water column. If there were several kites working at the same time, the machines would be close together to avoid crashes.
The electricity is sent via the tethering cables to the control station near the coastal town of Vestmanna.
The image is from Minesto.
The image caption is.
The underwater kites are dragged by ships.
The technology was developed by Minesto, a Swedish engineering firm that was spun off from the country's plane manufacturer.
Over the past year, the two kites in the Faroe Islands have been contributing energy to the island's electricity company and national grid.
The image caption is.
The North Atlantic contains the Faroe Islands.
The kites can produce enough electricity to power a few homes.
The fjord will be entered by larger-scale beasts in early 2022.
The new kites will have a 12-metre wingspan and can each generate 1.2 million kilowatts of power. We believe that an array of these Dragon-class kites will produce enough electricity to power half of the households in the Faroes.
The image is from Minesto.
The image caption is.
Minesto wants to move to a larger version.
The 17 islands of the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom ofDenmark. They have over 50,000 people in their home.
The islands have been known for their high winds and rough seas. Fishing is the primary industry, accounting for more than 90 percent of all exports.
The goal of the underwater kites is to help the Faroe Islands achieve its goal of net-zero emission energy generation by the year 2030.
Fossil fuels still account for almost half of the island's energy needs, despite hydro-electric power contributing 40% of the island's energy needs.
The kites will be useful when the weather is calm. In the summer of 2021, there was an unusual summer in the Faroes with no wind.
There is no chance of bringing in power connections from another country when supplies are low. The net zero goals of the next decade are a crucial addition to the tidal motion.
In Northern Ireland and Wales, Minesto has been testing its kites, as well as in Taiwan and Florida.
New Tech Economy explores how technological innovation will shape the new economic landscape.
The business community of the Faroe Islands is driven towards more environmental sustainable practices. The locals formed a new umbrella organisation.
It has 12 high-profile members, which include key players in local business sectors such as hotels, energy, salmon farming, banking and shipping.
The tradition of working together in the islands has spurred on the process according to the initiative's chief executive. She says that the businesses have committed to sustainable goals.
Our members are asking how they can make a difference. The small scale of our society makes it possible for people here to come up with new ideas.
The air freighting of fresh fish is stopped by Hiddenfjord, one of the islands' main salmon exporters. It is thought to be a global first for the Atlantic salmon industry.
This will reduce its transportation CO2 emissions by more than 90% according to the firm's managing director. It's a bold move as it means that its salmon now takes much longer to get to key markets.
It could get its salmon to New York City within two days using air freight, but it now takes more than a week by sea.
The image is from Hiddenfjord.
The image caption is.
Hiddenfjord stopped exporting fresh fish by air freight.
Better chilling technology that keeps fresh fish very cold without damaging it is what has made this possible. The fish is kept at -3C, rather than the -18C that is typical of commercial frozen food transportation.
"It's taken years to perfect a system that maintains premium quality salmon transported for sea freight rather than plane," says Mr Gregersen. Stress-free harvesting, as well as an unbroken cold-chain that is closely monitored for longer shelf life, are included.
We hope that other producers will follow our lead and accept the idea that salmon were never meant to fly.
Ocean Rainforest is farming seaweed in the fjords of the Faroe Island.
The crop is already used for human food, added to cosmetics and vitamins, but the firm's managing director Olavur Gregersen is particularly interested in the potential of the crop being used as an animal feed enhancer.
A cow burps between 200 and 500 litres of methane every day. That's three tonnes per animal per year for a dairy cow.
There is scientific evidence that shows that seaweed can reduce the development of methane in the animal's stomach. A seaweed farm covering 10% of the largest planned North Sea wind farm could reduce methane emissions by 50%.
The image is from Adrienne Murray.
The image caption is.
Ocean Rainforest farms seaweed.
The technology that Ocean Rainforest uses to farm its seaweed is relatively easy to use. The rope that dangles in the water is attached to a tiny algal seedlings. The seaweed strands are cut off with a knife after the line is lifted. The seaweed starts growing again when the line goes back into the water.
Ocean Rainforest plans to harvest up to 8,000 tons of seaweed in the Faroe Islands by the year 2025. In Europe and North America, production may be expanded.
