[DrNosferatu]

The long-term projected levelized cost of the generated electricity really has to hit that $54/MWh target, otherwise the economics won't work - unless you absolutely must use some form of offshore energy production, then I guess it's an interesting niche application.

It will be interesting to see.

[Sammi]

The tides are always moving so this energy is much more useful as baseload energy. They will lessen the need for energy storage for wind and solar, making wind and solar even cheaper.

So tidal doesn't actually have to be as cheap as wind and solar by itself, as it will lower the total cost of wind and solar and be economically viable as a part of the mix.

If you're a company operating wind or solar, then you will be able to have a much smaller battery installation, by using tidal kites for most of the baseload instead. And the kites actually generate energy instead of just storing it.

[DrNosferatu]

This system, as presented, will be really prone to *mechanical wear*. Maybe it can be done, but I need to see long-term (price & reliability) performance to believe it.

[Sammi]

What type of mechanical wear are you thinking of?

I can think of a propeller and generator, but those are solved problems. This is just a boat with a propeller. Only instead of using the generator as an engine to spin the propeller, the tides spin the propeller which generates power in the generator.

Steering is also a solved boat problem.

Then there's the tether and anchor. This is the reason it swims in a figure 8, instead of it just being a propellar anchored straight to the seabed. So the "pulling" force is actually mostly to the sides instead of directly on the tether and anchor.

[DrNosferatu]

That swinging tether immersed in saltwater(!) will have to work miracles.

[Sammi]

I'm trying to see what prior art we can find on the internet on tethers and anchors used in fish farming and offshore oil industry, but I'm not finding many sources.