Image credit: Shaun Lowe

Scotrenewables Tidal Power launches world’s largest tidal turbine

Orkney based Scotrenewables Tidal Power has launched its 2 MW SR2000 turbine, the world’s largest tidal energy turbine, the company said May 12.

The launch of the 550 tonne machine took place at Harland & Wolff Heavy Industries in Belfast.

This is the first commercial scale machine the company has built and the turbine will undergo preliminary tow trials in Belfast Lough before being towed to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney to start a grid-connected test program.

Steel fabrication of the machine was carried out by fabricators in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England with assembly and commissioning of the SR2000 taking place at Harland & Wolff shipyard over the past 12 months.

French Energy Minister inaugurates second Openhydro turbine

Segolene Royal, France’s Energy and Environment minister, has inaugurated the second DCNS/OpenHydro tidal turbine for the EDF Paimpol-Brehat tidal-turbine demonstration farm project, DCNS said May 13.

EDF’s Paimpol-Brehat tidal project comprises of two 16-metre diameter DCNS/OpenHydro tidal turbines connected to a common underwater converter, designed and produced by General Electric.

The plant will convert energy into direct current to be transported to land. The second turbine will be installed on the sea bed at a depth of almost 40 metres, next to its twin, installed in January this year. The goal is now to connect the two tidal turbines to the power network this summer.

Black Rock Tidal Power platform to be manufactured by Aecon

Nova Scotia renewable energy company Black Rock Tidal Power (BRTP) has awarded a contract to manufacture its TRITON S40 tidal power platform to Aecon Atlantic Industrial, BRTP said in a statement May 18.

This will be the first full-scale manufacture of this technology in the world and the in-stream tidal device will be installed in the Bay of Fundy in 2017.

BRTP’s tidal-current energy technology uses forty SIT 250 turbines mounted on the TRITON, providing a total capacity of 2.5 MW. The TRITON can be easily brought to the surface, allowing easier maintenance access. The use of multiple small turbines together with TRITON’s maintenance approach reduces capital and maintenance costs, according to the company.

BRTP is one of five companies awarded a demonstration site at FORCE, Canada’s leading research centre for instream tidal energy, located in the Bay of Fundy.