They are embraced by water, sung to sleep by vortexes, constantly gnawed on - the nature of islands. Bounded land, shaped by the sea, not infrequently until there are no more islands. The archipelago of the Faroe Islands stands firm. 18 islands some place in the middle of the North Atlantic. Again and again it does happen that suddenly an islander, a local, a scientist notices: now there is a piece of rock missing. In this case, the sea has been stronger than the cliff pillar or basalt cliff in question. Just like the wind, the power of water is omnipresent in the Faroe Islands. And interesting for many reasons. For example, when it comes to the topic of sustainable energy production. Together with the national supplier SEV, the Swedish developer of ocean energy technology Minesto started a pilot project a while ago, installing so-called Deep Green Kites in a sound named Vestmannasund, strait between the islands of Streymoy and Vágar.
In its expansion plan, Minesto has identified other areas that are supposed to be particularly suitable for generating electricity from ocean currents: Hestfjørður, Leirvíksfjørður, Skopunarfjørður and Svínoyarfjørður. Planning is underway. The company believes that - by expanding the trial system - tidal currents and ocean currents could generate up to 40 percent of the Faroese electricity needs. The nature of islands: giving room to creativity; enabling adventures and discoveries. On this occasion I took my thermos to Gjógv and sat down by the sea, which I find tremendously beautiful: the power, the waves, the spray. And because a coffee with a view simply tastes unbeatably good.
Ocean energy and the Faroese current project: Minestro and SEV