Kawasaki Launches Development of Tidal Power Generation System

Tokyo, 19 October, 2011 — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has launched the development of a power generation system utilizing ocean tides, a promising renewable energy source.

Found around the globe, tidal currents are an energy source with huge potential for producing a stable supply of electricity and are virtually immune to the effects of climate and weather. Over the years Kawasaki has amassed a wealth of experience in developing and building ocean going vessels, research vessels, marine engines, as well as various types of marine structures along with advanced engineering technologies for high-efficiency gas turbine power generation plants and more. Kawasaki will leverage this expertise to develop a highly reliable and efficient tidal power generation system that has a competitive edge in the global market.

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has selected Kawasaki to be the general contractor for a project demonstrating the use of an ocean energy power generation system off the coast of Japan's island prefecture of Okinawa. In this project, Kawasaki will work with Okinawa Electric Power Co., Inc. and Okinawa New Energy Development Co., Inc. to harness the power generation know-how they have built up through past projects demonstrating the use of grid-connected solar, wind, and other renewable power sources.

Kawasaki is moving full-speed ahead on technological development for this  test with an eye to full-scale testing at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Scotland, a country that leads the world in ocean energy development.

A supplier of renewable energy applications and products that include everything from small hydraulic power generation systems to biomass, wind, solar power systems and more, Kawasaki is making new inroads into the international market via large-scale projects in Britain and elsewhere that hold promise of major growth, as well as commercial power generation projects in Japan. Kawasaki is leaving behind a smaller carbon footprint as it moves forward to make more efficient use of the earth's limited resources with an eye to building a brighter future for everyone.