Development and Sea Trail of the Floating Kuroshio Turbine

Kuroshio is considered a clean, reliable, and endless energy source; the potential energy reserves on the eastern coast of Taiwan are estimated to be at least 4 GW. If the kinetic energy of Kuroshio can be effectively used to generate electricity, it will become an essential and sustainable energy source for Taiwan. This paper presents a 20 kW Floating Kuroshio Turbine (FKT) for capturing ocean current power and transferring it into electricity. The FKT is mainly composed of a hydrofoil floating body, a buoyancy control system (BCS), two vertical supports, a crossbeam, and two 10 kW power generators. In 2020, the first 1/5 scaled 10 kW model with a single rotor was constructed, and the 20 kW model equipped with two rotors, integrated with a BCS, was then established in 2021. The experimental towing test of both 10 kW and 20 kW models was carried out in open water. Continuing with the same system configuration, the first mooring experimental test for the 20 kW model has conducted on the near shore of Liuqiu Island in October 2022. In this paper, the design and main components of the 20 kW FKT are first addressed. Then the test methods of the towing experiments for the BCS and the mooring test for power production are described. It includes the result of the nacelle pressure test, the BCS test, and the power production test. The 20 kW FKT can operate stably in water, and both the BCS and turbines' performance were verified.