As the global energy transition accelerates, renewable sources like solar and wind dominate installations but their inherent intermittency creates challenges for grid stability and continuous power supply. Coastal and island communities, as well as maritime industries, urgently need reliable baseload clean energy that can operate 24/7 without the visual, environmental, and operational drawbacks of traditional offshore wind farms. Moreover, existing marine energy technologies often struggle to efficiently harness low-speed ocean currents or require large, costly infrastructure that disrupts marine ecosystems and shipping lanes. This leaves a significant gap in renewable energy offerings for continuous, predictable power from the ocean’s vast underutilized currents.
Equinox Ocean Turbines bridges this gap by developing a fully submerged, two-stage turbine system optimized to extract energy from low-flow ocean currents with minimal environmental impact and no visual intrusion.
Equinox Ocean Turbines is a Dutch clean energy startup developing a novel ocean current turbine technology to harness stable, predictable, under-water energy flows. Their mission is to make “ocean current energy” the third major clean energy source (after solar and wind) by producing affordable, baseload power.
Ocean currents represent a largely untapped renewable energy resource. They flow continuously (or nearly so), driven by Earth’s rotation, global wind and weather patterns, and differences in water density. Equinox positions ocean-current energy as a complement and stabiliser to intermittent renewables and is among a growing number of companies and initiatives trying to make marine energy viable and cost-effective. Their design philosophy builds on existing techniques and materials, adapting them to work efficiently in low flow‐speed water environments that occur undersea. They also emphasise environmental sustainability: turbines are designed to be entirely submerged (so there is no visual intrusion), aiming for low ecological disruption.
The visionary team behind Equinox Ocean Turbines is led by Pieter de Haas, a marine-energy specialist with nearly two decades of experience who serves as Founder & CEO. Pieter has been instrumental in developing the company’s unique two-stage underwater turbine technology. Working alongside him is Andries van Unen, whose background spans clean energy, innovation, and finance. He notably founded Vojaĝi Kune and previously held the position of CEO at Tocardo Tidal Power Completing the core leadership team is Bart Velthuizen, who brings over 30 years of experience in product development and business creation, providing a bold and innovative commercial perspective
Equinox Ocean Turbines is pioneering a next-generation ocean current energy system that transforms the natural, continuous movement of seawater into clean and reliable electricity. At the heart of their innovation is a fully submerged, 50-meter turbine system designed to operate efficiently in low-flow ocean currents, a critical differentiator to competing current dependent energy systems which typically require stronger flows to be viable. The system uses a unique two-stage design, consisting of a main rotor paired with tip turbines that capture additional energy from the flow, maximizing output while maintaining efficiency in variable marine environments.
The turbine is engineered to deliver up to 3 megawatts (MW) of power per unit, with an expected capacity factor of over 65%, making it comparable to baseload energy sources and far more predictable than intermittent solar or wind. Equinox has set an ambitious cost target, aiming for a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) below €50/MWh, positioning its technology as competitive with large-scale renewable solutions.
Unlike offshore wind farms, which are visible above the sea surface and can alter seascapes, Equinox’s turbines are entirely submerged. This design choice not only eliminates visual impact but also protects the units from wave stress and surface storms. The environmental footprint is carefully considered: the turbine’s slow-moving blades are engineered to minimize risks to marine life, while its placement avoids interference with shipping lanes and coastal views.
The roadmap for deployment is already underway. With seed funding secured in 2024, the company is building a pre-commercial prototype by 2025 to undergo third-party testing and environmental assessments. By 2028, Equinox aims to launch its first large-scale turbine, with full commercial rollout planned by 2030. Each turbine, capable of supplying thousands of households with clean electricity, can be deployed individually or in arrays, forming scalable “underwater power plants” that could transform the renewable energy mix.
In short, Equinox’s product is designed not only as a technological breakthrough in marine energy but also as a practical, scalable, and environmentally responsible solution that could make ocean current energy the third major renewable pillar alongside wind and solar.
Equinox Ocean Turbines closed a €2.4 million seed funding round, led by EIT InnoEnergy, a prominent European sustainable energy investor based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This capital raise also saw significant participation from Damen Maritime Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Damen Shipyards (Gorinchem, Netherlands), the regional development fund NOM (Northern Netherlands), the Friesland-based FOM (Friese Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij), Init Power (a Dutch energy-transition-focused seed fund), as well as two private investors all supporting the company from within the Netherlands. The company has received additional non-equity backing from regional bodies like Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) Valorisatie and the European Regional Development Fund (EFRO), aimed at accelerating marine energy innovation in collaboration with the University of Groningen
Case Study
Here is an illustrative case (based on public information) showing how Equinox is advancing its technology and validating it in practice:
- US TEAMER Program Participation:
In May 2024, Equinox was selected as one of 11 companies to receive technical support in the U.S. TEAMER program, working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Their goal is to improve model of their turbine, especially the interactions between the main rotor and tip turbines in their two‐stage design. - Florida / Gulfstream Ocean Current Potential:
In the TEAMER context, studies were referenced showing ocean current potential near the U.S. Gulf Stream that could exceed 5 GW, which is roughly 12.5% of Florida’s current energy demand. This gives a sense of scale and potential if technologies like Equinox’s succeed. - Seed Round Deployment Goals:
The €2.4M seed investment is being used to build a pre-commercial version of the turbine (by 2025), do third-party verification, refine the business model, and begin market analysis. - Location and Infrastructure:
The company is setting up headquarters in Leeuwarden, Netherlands (Crystalic Business Park) to support operations. Partnerships with maritime engineering companies like Damen shipyards are being established to enable local production and deployment.
This case shows how Equinox is moving from concept through early demonstration towards commercial deployment, while managing technical, financial, and environmental challenges.
Final Thoughts
Equinox Ocean Turbines represents a promising player in the marine renewables space. Their approach to harvesting ocean current energy through submerged, low-flow turbines with minimal visual or environmental impact addresses several of the pain points of existing renewables. While solar and wind have progressed further in scale and deployment, ocean current energy holds strong potential for providing stable, continuous baseload power.
If all goes to plan, by 2028 their first large-scale turbine should be launched, with full commercial models by 2030, delivering outputs up to 3 MW. If successful, this could contribute significantly to transitioning energy systems to cleaner baseload sources and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
References
Equinox Ocean Turbines. (2024, May 16). U.S. DOE research program backs Equinox technology developments. https://equinoxoceanturbines.com
Equinox Ocean Turbines. (n.d.). About Equinox. https://equinoxoceanturbines.com
EIT InnoEnergy. (2024, July 10). Equinox Ocean Turbines secures €2.4 million seed funding. European Institute of Innovation & Technology. https://www.eit.europa.eu
InnoEnergy. (n.d.). Equinox Ocean Turbines. https://innoenergy.com
Interesting Engineering. (2024, June 17). Dutch ocean turbine rides underwater currents to generate power. https://interestingengineering.com
Offshore Energy. (2024, July 11). Equinox Ocean Turbines secures funding for ocean current tech project. https://www.offshore-energy.biz
Contributor : Dyah Ayuning Tyas
Reviewer : Imam Buchari, David Ratner
Scorpa's Tech @ Sea 
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