A two MW tidal turbine is operational in Scotland – the 680 ton system is currently being towed to the Orkney Islands. In the future, it will supply renewable electricity for about 2,000 British homes.
04/28/2021 – Launched for in the Scottish coastal city of Dundee Orbital O2 Tidal Turbine The final stage before operations resume in the past few days: the 680-ton system being towed to Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of Scotland. The project is now entering the next phase, the construction of the 2 MW tidal turbine has been completed.
After being transported by sea, the plant is to be linked to the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC), considered a leader in the performance and testing of wave and tidal power plants. Orbital O2 then goes into operation. According to manufacturer Orbital Marine Power Ltd., it is currently the most powerful tidal turbine in the world. Going forward, this will generate enough renewable electricity to meet the needs of around 2,000 UK households. This averages 2,200 tonnes of CO. generates2 Rescued.
The construction of the turbine began in the second half of 2019. Most of the parts were manufactured in Great Britain – from a Scottish steel mill to main production anchors in Wales and blades from southern England. The companies involved are therefore particularly proud to demonstrate that the transformation of the energy system can be achieved with the British mechanical engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Orbital O2 Tidal Turbine
Photo: Orbital Marine Power
The tidal turbine consists of a hull structure approximately 74 meters long, equipped with two one-megawatt rotors to generate electricity. The inflow and outflow of water set the rotors in motion; Each of them has two blades and a total diameter of 20 m. According to the manufacturer, because of their construction, they can be particularly cheap and easy to service.
The project was financed, inter alia, from the European research and innovation program Horizon 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund within the framework of the Interreg Northwestern Europe programme. The money also went to the Scottish Government’s Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund.
with mezen project There is another tidal power plant on the north coast of Scotland, which is expected to reach a size of about 400 MW in the future. In 2019, four already installed 1.5 MW turbines produced 13.8 GWh. discovered canada Has also been using tidal power plants for years – and has been testing 15-metre-diameter turbines since 2016. Was in Gibraltar a few years ago Unique Wave Energy Project which should achieve a production of five MW in future. JK