A giant tidal energy “kite” located in the waters off Vestmannsund, Faroe Islands, has delivered its first power to the grid, in a significant step forward for the budding ocean energy industry.

Dubbed the Dragon 12, the device swims against the current, which turns its rotor and generates about 1.2MW of clean electricity — enough to power a small town of around 1,000 homes. 

The kite was first designed by carmaker Saab and then commercialised in 2007 by Swedish startup Minesto, which has been refining the technology ever since.

“This is a big day for Minesto,” said Dr Martin Edlund, CEO. “We have reached the most significant milestone in the history of the company by producing electricity to the grid with our megawatt scale powerplant.”