{"id":43,"date":"2025-04-11T09:19:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/?p=43"},"modified":"2025-04-11T09:19:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:19:31","slug":"the-space-program-that-harnesses-the-moons-energy-without-leaving-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/?p=43","title":{"rendered":"The space program that harnesses the moon’s energy \u2013 without leaving Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Since 1907, SKF has been manufacturing some of the world\u2019s most innovative bearings, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring solutions, and services to reduce friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, SKF, in collaboration with Minesto, a leading developer in ocean energy, is launching a space program aimed at harnessing the moon\u2019s energy by using the power of tides. This is a space program that never intends to leave Earth but instead utilizes the resources we already have here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Faroe Islands have one of the world\u2019s most ambitious energy transition programs, aiming to reach 100% renewable energy by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Invisible and silent tidal kite The space project addresses the growing need for renewable energy. The spacecraft will not travel upwards; they will travel downwards, and their turbines will harvest energy from the daily tidal currents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minesto, with the help of SKF, has developed an innovation: a tidal kite that, through the moon\u2019s power, creates predictable and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After its successful launch at sea, the tidal kite \u201cLuna\u201d flies underwater, invisible and silent, harvesting energy from water currents generated by the moon’s gravitational pull \u2013 regardless of the weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For us, as a technology development company, working with a global industrial company like SKF is both an educational experience and an inspiration,” says Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe appreciate that there are at least 3,000 more ‘Faroe Islands’ out there that qualify for our space program \u2013 if they all join, lunar energy could replace all coal power capacity currently being developed globally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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200 homes with energy The energy kite \u201cLuna\u201d has a nominal capacity of 1.2 MW, which is enough to supply 200 homes with electricity for a year*. Minesto\u2019s next goal is to implement a new tidal energy plant with a 200 MW capacity. This could meet 40 percent of the expected electricity needs by 2030 and provide the small, remote island nation of 50,000 people and 70,000 sheep with green electricity. Unlocking the power of tides is a joint effort with the local utility company Sev:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our vision is to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity production by 2030, and we believe tidal power could prove to be an important part of this journey,” says H\u00e1kun Djurhuus, CEO of the Faroese utility company Sev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCollaboration is key\u201d SKF has designed the bearing and sealing systems for the kites’ rudders and elevators, and SKF\u2019s software system calculates, for example, the bearing\u2019s lifespan and estimates CO2 emissions. This makes it possible to compare different solutions not only from a technical perspective but also from a sustainability perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCollaboration across industries is crucial for progress. Together with Minesto, we show how technology and innovation can drive the transition to renewable energy,\u201d says Annika \u00d6lme, Technical Director for the SKF Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By framing it all as a space program \u2013 one that never leaves Earth \u2013 the partners aim to emphasize the importance of exploring how we can harness the moon’s energy to generate renewable energy through tidal forces. By calling the project a space program that never leaves Earth, the partners want to highlight the significance of utilizing the resources we already have here on our planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SKF, in partnership with Minesto, is launching an innovative space program to harness tidal energy using the moon\u2019s gravitational pull. The project features the underwater tidal kite \u201cLuna,\u201d capable of supplying electricity to 200 homes annually. This effort supports the Faroe Islands’ goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swedishpost.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}