This off-grid island will switch from diesel to tidal energy [video]

The UK’s Inyanga Marine Energy Group is going to build Southeast Asia’s first tidal energy plant, which will power an off-grid island.

Energy company Energies PH in the Philippines, through its affiliate San Bernardino Ocean Power Corporation, has contracted with Inyanga, which will deploy its patented HydroWing tidal stream technology. Hydrowing is a modular, multi-rotor tidal energy device with a permanent gravity-based structure, and one to three retrievable wings with two to five turbines per wing.

The site will be at the remote Capul Island of Northern Samar in the Philippines, along the San Bernardino Strait, a passage well-known for the strength of its marine currents:

The HydroWing tidal stream turbines (it will be similar to the main image) will be connected to the electrical network on Capul – an off-grid island that currently relies on a 750 kW diesel power plant. The 1 megawatt (MW) tidal power plant, the project’s first stage, will be connected into a microgrid network, along with solar and battery storage. That’s going to get the island off the fossil fuels and onto reliable clean energy.

Antonio Ver, co-chairman and CEO of Energies PH said: 

As we embark on this pioneering tidal power plant for the Philippines, our vision is to replicate this in several off-grid sites all over the country to provide electricity in the hinterlands.

We see the initial project in Capul as a catapult to achieving our goal of helping create sustainable communities across the Philippines. The electric power that reaches families in remote areas enables them to have better access to education, health services as well as livelihood opportunities.

Capul’s tidal energy project is expected to come online in late 2025. Other planned tidal power projects planned by San Bernardino Ocean Power Corporation are in San Antonio Island, also in Northern Samar, and Calintaan Island in Matnog, Sorsogon.

See how the HydroWing Tidal Device works in the video below:

Read more: The world’s most powerful tidal turbine launches in Scotland

If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*