UK’s tidal sector reaches key generation milestone

• 12 years ago (2011-10-29)
• Junior Isles

Europe 1061

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The UK's fledgling tidal energy sector reached a notable milestone this week after Rolls-Royce said that its prototype generator in Scotland has generated 100 MWh of power.

Rolls-Royce confirmed that a 500 kW tidal turbine, built by subsidiary Tidal Generation Limited, has generated more than 100 MWh since connecting to the grid in September last year.

The machine is installed at the European Marine Energy Centre's (EMEC's) test site off the Orkney Islands. It is the first in the area to receive Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs).

Robert Stevenson, vice president of the Rolls-Royce Power Ventures division, has said that the announcement is a major step towards commercialisation of the technology.

"Reaching the 100 MWh milestone highlights the significant potential of cleaner, greener tidal power as part of a diversified UK energy mix… Having proven the capability of tidal energy, Rolls-Royce is well placed to meet any future demand with larger, more efficient technology on a commercial scale,", he said.

The system features a three-blade turbine mounted on a tripod fixed to the seabed, and can operate fully submerged at a depth of 40 m.

Tidal Generation Limited is planning to deploy 20 of the 500 KW machines in the fast-flowing Inner Sound area of the Pentland Firth, as part of a much larger 400 MW project being developed by the MeyGen consortium.

Rolls-Royce is also currently building a 1 MW tidal turbine demonstration unit that will be deployed in mid-2012 at EMEC in Orkney. The project is being supported by the Energy Technologies Institute-funded Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal consortium.

The news is the latest in a string of positive announcements for the tidal energy sector after the announcement last week that UK and Scottish governments plan to increase tidal power subsidies under the ROC scheme.

The Scottish government also unveiled an £18 million fund to support the development of the country's first commercial wave and tidal power arrays.