An important milestone for renewable energy has been reached with the official opening of the MAKO Tidal Energy Site at the Sentosa Boardwalk.
Tidal turbines operate in a similar way to wind turbines but utilise the flow of the tide to generate 100% predictable renewable energy and are unaffected by the weather.
The official launch of the MAKO Tidal Energy Site on 17 September 2019 follows signing of a collaboration agreement between MAKO Energy Pte Ltd and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) in December 2018 that allows MAKO Energy to use a part of the Sentosa Boardwalk as a testbed site for the installation of tidal turbines.
MAKO Energy is a Singapore-based marine renewable energy company and a subsidiary of the Elemental Energy Technologies Group. The site will demonstrate the unique, scalable tidal energy system under South East Asian conditions.
Elemental Energy Technologies Group CEO Douglas Hunt said: "We are very excited to demonstrate our MAKO Energy System in Singapore to showcase the benefits of predictable renewable energy in tropical conditions, to the vast Asian market.“
“A key objective for the tidal energy industry is to reduce the cost of electricity. At the Sentosa Boardwalk site, MAKO Energy is demonstrating how the unique scale of the MAKO allows it to be attached to existing infrastructure, which reduces both installation and maintenance costs.”
The MAKO Tidal Energy Site has involved collaboration with Singapore based companies, such as:
- Mooreast Asia Pte Ltd - fabrication
- YWL Engineering - professional engineer services
- Ocean Works Asia Pte Ltd - resource assessment assistance
- NYK Group – business strategy for shipping industry
Enterprise Singapore (ESG) has been extremely supportive to MAKO Energy. Indeed, ESG’s grant scheme has been instrumental in helping to hire local talent to implement this project. We look forward to continued support from ESG in building local capabilities and developing future sales in the region.
Future research at the site will involve other Singapore-based companies, including:
- Forsee Power - energy storage
- ClassNK - certification services
MAKO Energy will also continue to engage Institutes of Higher Learning. For example, MAKO Energy has been collaborating with Dr. Srikanth Narasimalu of the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University, who will focus on resource studies in tropical waters. Similarly, MAKO energy will work with other institutes on specific topics such as eco system monitoring and data analytics.
Most importantly, the demonstration is to showcase the potential of the tidal energy system to future customers.
Mr. Hunt concluded by saying “Elemental Energy Technologies Group acknowledges the vision shown by companies such as Eagle Industry Co., Ltd from Japan and our Singapore partners who have contributed to the success of this site and ensured that Singapore remains at the forefront of tidal energy research and demonstration in Asia.”
Eagle Industry has provided mechanical seals for MAKO Energy’s turbine shafts for the demonstration of tidal power generation at the Sentosa Boardwalk.
Dr. Uemura, Senior Managing Director/Division Manager of Engineering Division from Eagle Industry said “We have high expectations for the Sentosa project as an opportunity to demonstrate the extremely low torque capabilities of our outstanding surface texturing seal technology.” Dr. Uemura continued “We see our seals being a key component of ocean power generation systems, improving power generation efficiency and contributing to long-term reliability.”
Dr. Uemura concluded “Renewable energy is attracting attention today and we will not only contribute to the marine power generation field through our technologies and products, but also strive to further improve our proprietary technologies and develop new products to contribute to environmental protection.”
MAKO Energy in Singapore is taking a leading role in the developing Blue Economy and the Sentosa Boardwalk site is an important stepping stone in developing power solutions for future industries and food sources.
MAKO Energy Chairman Dr. Kenneth Burnett said: "The Sentosa Boardwalk demonstration site is a key element in our strategy to become a first mover in providing predictable ocean energy to the emerging Blue Economy in Asia then globally.”
The Blue Economy is a term used to describe the various industries based around and in the world's oceans. These industries include aquaculture, transportation and energy generation. The Blue Economy will involve the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improve livelihoods and jobs and ocean ecosystem health.
Dr. Burnett continued: “Ocean energy is an important element of the Blue Economy and MAKO Energy is undertaking the Sentosa Boardwalk demonstration as part of its work to develop systems suitable for this emerging sector.”
