Submerged in about 40 meters (44 yards) of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity — a durability mark that demonstrates the technology’s commercial viability.
Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment that long is a record that supports pave the way for hugeger tidal energy farms and builds it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association Ocean Energy Europe. Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years.
Tidal energy technologies are still in the early days of their commercial development, but their potential for generating clean energy is huge. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, marine energy, a term researchers apply to refer to power generated from tides, currents, waves or temperature modifys, is the world’s largest untapped renewable energy resource.
The MeyGen tidal energy project off the coast of Scotland has four turbines producing 1.5 megawatts each, enough electricity collectively to power up to 7,000 homes annually. On Thursday, the Swedish company SKF announced that its bearings and seals on one of the turbines had passed the 6 1/2-year mark without requireding unplanned or disruptive maintenance. It has been working closely with the industest for a decade on design and testing.
Achieving six years in the water with constant operations is a “very significant milestone” that bodes well for the future of tidal energy, stated Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe.
Scotland and the United Kingdom are global leaders in tidal energy. The MeyGen site, operated by SAE Renewables, has been sfinishing electricity to the grid for about eight years.
There are very few tidal energy projects generating electricity continuously. Most have been tests and demonstrations, stated Andrea Copping, an expert in marine renewable energy development. Copping stated there are still large hurdles to overcome before tidal energy can be adopted more widely, such as dealing with regulatory issues, potential environmental effects and conflicts with other ocean applyrs.
Achieving six years in the water with constant operations is a “very significant milestone” that bodes well for the future of tidal energy, stated Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe.
Scotland and the United Kingdom are global leaders in tidal energy. The MeyGen site, operated by SAE Renewables, has been sfinishing electricity to the grid for about eight years.
There are very few tidal energy projects generating electricity continuously.
Most have been tests and demonstrations, stated Andrea Copping, an expert in marine renewable energy development. Copping stated there are still large hurdles to overcome before tidal energy can be adopted more widely, such as dealing with regulatory issues, potential environmental effects and conflicts with other ocean applyrs.
The four turbines are in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, a narrow channel between the Scottish mainland and Stroma Island known for strong tidal currents.
Tidal energy systems required strong currents to build electricity efficiently. MeyGen plans to add 20 turbines in 2030 to produce more electricity, after requireded upgrades to the electricity grid are finished. The site could eventually hold as many as 130 turbines that are more powerful than those at the site today.
The MeyGen site is in the open water, while another type of tidal project involves creating a dam-like structure called a barrage across tidal waters. With four turbines, MeyGen is considered the largest tidal energy project of its kind worldwide, stated Johnson.
“It’s a title we wish we didn’t have. We want more, we want others,” he stated.
“Unfortunately others are having difficulty achieving what MeyGen has achieved. But working with SKF relocating forward, we’ll push the industest forward.”
Source: AP
–Agencies
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