Off the coast of the Faroe Islands, a new kind of power plant is taking flight—beneath the waves. Known as tidal kites, these innovative devices “fly” underwater in graceful figure-eight patterns, their onboard turbines spinning as they slice through ocean currents. Unlike conventional tidal turbines, which require strong, fast-flowing waters, tidal kites can generate electricity even in gentler currents by moving much faster than the tide itself. First conceived in Sweden in the early 2000s and patented in 2007, the technology has only recently reached commercial scale.
The latest breakthrough comes from Minesto’s Dragon 12, a megawatt-class tidal kite with a 12-meter wingspan and a rated capacity of 1.2 MW. Anchored to the seabed and tethered to the shore by a power cable, the kite is guided by rudders and elevators, capturing energy with remarkable efficiency. Installed in the Faroe Islands in early 2025, the Dragon 12 is already feeding electricity into the grid. If all goes to plan, an array of 20–40 units could generate up to 40 MW—meeting as much as 40 percent of the islands’ electricity demand by 2030 and significantly reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. The concept is as elegant as it is ambitious.
Tides, driven by the moon’s gravitational pull, are predictable years in advance, offering a stable source of renewable power. This reliability is a key advantage over solar and wind, which fluctuate with weather and daylight. While solar farms can achieve higher peak capacities—often hundreds of megawatts—they require vast land areas and face night-time intermittency. Wind turbines, onshore or offshore, can also produce larger outputs, but are less predictable and face higher maintenance in storm-prone regions. Tidal kites, by contrast, can operate day and night, year-round, with consistent generation profiles—making them an ideal complement in a diversified renewable mix.
For the Faroe Islands, the LUNA 12 project—developed in partnership with Swedish bearing giant SKF and local utility SEV—is more than an engineering milestone. It’s proof that cutting-edge marine technology can work in the real world, even in challenging environments. The first deployment has already delivered a tenfold increase in capacity compared to earlier prototypes. Analysts estimate more than 3,000 coastal locations worldwide could adopt similar systems, collectively supplying gigawatts of clean, predictable energy and reducing dependence on coal and gas.
Challenges remain. The technology is still young, with high upfront costs and logistical hurdles in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Environmental monitoring will also be essential to ensure the devices do not disrupt marine life. But with successful demonstrations now underway, the tide may finally be turning in favour of ocean-powered electricity. If tidal kites can live up to their promise, they could offer one of the most reliable and sustainable sources of clean energy—harvesting the steady pull of the moon without ever leaving Earth.