World’s First Commercial-Scale Tidal Power Turbine Begins Feeding Electricity to the Grid
SeaGen more than four times the size of next largest tidal turbine
The world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine, developed by British tidal energy company, Marine Current Turbines, has delivered electricity onto the grid for the first time. In principle, SeaGen works much like an “underwater windmill” with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind. Conservative estimates suggest there is at least five gigawatts of power in tidal flows in Britain, but there could be as much as 15GW.
The tidal current turbine, known as SeaGen, has briefly generated 150kW of power onto the grid as part of its commissioning work, ahead of it achieving full capacity a few weeks from now. SeaGen’s power is being intentionally constrained to 300kW during the commissioning phase, but once fully operational, it will generate 1.2MW of clean, renewable energy to the equivalent of 1000 homes.
The chosen site for the installation, Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland has a very powerful (and very regular) tidal pull and is recognized as one of the main tidal “hotspots” in UK and Irish waters. Understandingly elated, Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines said:
“This is an important milestone for the company and indeed the development of the marine renewable energy sector as a whole. The marine environment poses a number of unique technical challenges… so we are delighted that Marine Current Turbines has delivered yet another world-first in this sector. It’s a major technical break-through.”
Environmental groups have voiced support for the project. Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace UK’s climate and energy campaign said, “Britain should be at the forefront of marine renewable energy development. Our windswept island has huge renewable resources and we should seize the opportunities to secure energy from around our coasts.”
Officials expect that the present testing and commissioning phase will be completed by the end of the summer when an official “switch on” will take place. Marine Current Turbines’ next undertaking, a 10.5 MW project off the coast of Anglesey, north Wales, is believed to be commissioned around 2011/2012.
Other Posts on SeaGen Tidal Power:
- “SeaGen Tidal Power Up and Running [with new pics]“:: ecopolitology
- “Animation: SeaGen Tidal Power” :: ecoscraps
- “Britain Breaks-in Tidal Power” :: CleanTechnica
Please refer to the River Rance Estuary tidal scheme in France. Average output around 68MW and it has been running for a very long time (40 years or so). the only difference is that this for relatively open water whilst the other involves damming an estuary which would have some effects on the local ecology.
Thanks, Hugh. And you are absolutely right about the Rance tidal power plant. I could have/should have been more clear that I was referring to a commercial-scale tidal power “turbine,” as opposed to “system.” I made a few edits to achieve that level of specificity. Thanks again for chiming-in.
This is a really important development, I think. I’ve always been troubled by the fact that tidal power has such potential, yet previous schemes such as the Rance all involve environmental degradation, as Hugh pointed out. Another problem I read was that tidal barrage systems (where the estuary is actually dammed) require a very large tidal range that is found in fewer than 50 known locations around the world. Does anyone know if the SeaGen requires similarly extreme tidal conditions? If not, it would greatly expand the potential of tidal power development.
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Nice! Good to see someone looking to help the environment! This is LONG over due!
JT
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
First Commercial-Scale Tidal Power System Delivers | nerdd.net…
\r\nThe worlds first commercial-scale tidal turbine developed by British tidal energy company, Marin…
Question, how many of these tidal turbines can be in one “area”? Is this turbine the first of many to come or do they have to find another location of sorts?
I wonder what the unforeseen consequences of this “clean” power will be. I don’t mean for this to be FUD, but there is no such thing as “free”. We are taking large amounts of kinetic energy from these tidal currents and using that energy for our own purposes. What if those currents serve a purpose that we don’t yet understand? What if we raise or lower the temperature of a particular section of ocean by a few degrees, thereby wiping out entire species or ecosystems? What if certain species require these currents to find food or to migrate?
Again, not trying to sound alarmist here, just some food for thought.
In eastern Canada. They have been ‘working’ on this technology for decades. Partly because the Bay of Fundy has the biggest tidal waves in the world. Hopefully this project will motivate them to actually do something rather than burn a lot of hot air, which they are very good at, especially if it is coal based.
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