Tidal Energy News

HydroWing is gearing up for deployment of its tidal energy technology, following the recent announcement that it has been awarded a contract for a 10MW tidal stream energy project in Wales.HydroWing was the largest tidal stream project in Wales to be successful in the UK government’s latest Contracts for Difference round. The project will be located at the Morlais tidal energy site in Anglesey, which is managed by the social enterprise Menter Môn. The Morlais site is the UK’s largest consented tidal energy scheme.Richard Parkinson…

Sustainable Marine said it has successfully harnessed the tidal currents in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, delivering the first floating in-stream tidal power to Nova Scotia’s grid.Nova Scotia has allocated circa 30MW of capacity via demonstration permits and berths at FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy) for developers to demonstrate their energy generation prowess. “Achieving ‘first power’ to the grid from our new platform in Grand Passage signals a real inflection point for our business,” said Jason Hayman, CEO, Sustainable Marine.

Harnessing the power of the tides is not for the squeamish, with the roster of trials and failures long and distinguished. Jason Hayman and his Sustainable Marine Energy crew are putting their tech to the test in one of the harshest spots on the planet, the Bay of Fundy, as his discussed with Marine Technology TV.Jason, to start, how did you come to a career in the offshore renewable energy field?I suppose my interest got piqued back in about 2003. I went to a lecture at the University of Newcastle and they had a wave energy crowd there and a tidal energy developer.

UK-based HydroWing and Dutch tidal energy developer Tocardo are working on a solution that will convert tidal energy into hydrogen, store it and offload it - similar to an FPSO in the oil and gas industry - to overcome the intermittency as well as the transportation issues.The concept called the THyPSO (Tidal Hydrogen Production, Storage and Offloading) includes a floating platform housing 1 – 6 conventional bi-directional tidal turbines converting the tidal flows into electricity…

Research by HR Wallingford at the SeaGen tidal power project site at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland has shown that the impact of tidal power turbines on marine wildlife may be significantly lower than previously estimated.As questions are asked about the impact of turbine blades on marine wildlife, scientists have developed a sophisticated fish collision model for the burgeoning tidal power industry.The model, developed by HR Wallingford, predicts collision rates more accurately than ever before by incorporating the real swimming behaviors of different species of fish for the first time. The journal of ‘Renewable Energy’ has just published a study using the model…

Mocean Energy, global wave energy player, has teamed up with energy major Chrysaor, subsea energy storage experts EC-OG and AUV specialist Modus in a project to look at using renewables for subsea power.The project, funded by the partners together with the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), will look to use Mocean Energy’s Blue Star wave energy converter and EC-OG’s HALO subsea energy storage system to power subsea tiebacks or residential AUVs.If industry feedback is positive, the partners will press ahead with a technology field trial using a Mocean Energy prototype in the seas off Orkney later this year.Once proven, these technologies could provide vital backup power in case of umbilical failure…

Danish manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems has developed a customized solution for a 50 MW intertidal project in Bạc Liêu Province, Vietnam for the local EPC construction company Bac Phuong JSC, using onshore wind technologies to harvest wind resources from the sea.The intertidal project site is covered in water at high tide and some of the turbines will be uncovered at low tide, said a press note from the sustainable energy solutions provider.Working closely with the customer to overcome the complex operation of planning and executing an intertidal project, Vestas will supervise the installation of the turbines in shallow waters close…

Italian oil group Eni is joining forces with shipbuilder Fincantieri, power grid group Terna and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to develop wave power stations.The agreement, which follows the understanding signed last 19 April, will launch the first phase of a joint project to convert the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC) pilot project, an innovative system that transforms energy generated by waves into electricity, into an industrial scale power station, making its application and use immediately available.The partnership agreement will focus on two phases: during the first phase, the companies will develop a business model and define a deployment plan for Italy.

The Scottish Government announced that it has awarded engineering company Orbital Marine Power GBP3.4mln (USD 4.1million) in funding for its floating tidal turbine, which is the world’s most powerful.The Scottish engineering company is the first recipient of the Scottish Government’s GBP10 million Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund.The funding will be used to deliver the next generation O2 2MW Floating Tidal Energy Turbine, capable of powering more than 1,700 homes per year.Scotland’s Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “We have established a world lead in marine renewable technologies and this project represents a significant step forward in technological development.

Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal (EnFAIT), the flagship EU tidal energy project, has reduced the cost of tidal energy by 15 per cent and grown its supply chain from four to 14 EU countries, just 18 months after its launch.EnFAIT is an academic-industry collaboration between nine European partners focused on demonstrating the economic viability of tidal power. The project is also paving the way for a new industrial marine manufacturing sector with a supply chain based across Europe.Consortium lead, Edinburgh-based Nova Innovation Ltd, reports that its Shetland tidal array–the world’s first offshore tidal array–has reduced operational costs by 15 per cent since the start of the project.

Simec Atlantis Energy is set to team up with General Electric (GE) to develop the world's largest tidal stream turbine.According to a press release from Simec, its Atlantis Turbine and Engineering Services (ATES) division will enter into a Technology Partnership and Preferred Supplier Agreement (TPPSA) with GE’s Power Conversion business (GE).Under the terms of the partnership agreement, both parties will work together and share resources for the ongoing development of utility scale tidal energy generation and associated energy storage solutions. They will also engage in joint marketing activities to promote their innovative new subsea connection technologies and the wider benefits of cleaner…

US-owned renewable energy company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) announced that the Company's PB3 PowerBuoy deployed in the Adriatic Sea has produced more than one MegaWatt-hour (MWh) cumulative energy to date. The cost-effective ocean energy solutions provider said that the PowerBuoy has been deployed for six months, operating continuously and error-free while being controlled remotely from OPT’s NJ facility.George H. Kirby, OPT’s President and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are excited to announce this major power generation milestone for our PB3 PowerBuoy deployed in the Adriatic Sea. Since the contract began in March of last year…

European tidal stream installations reached 26.8MW, and wave energy installations 11.3MW in 2018, according to yearly statistics published by Ocean Energy Europe.Europe continues to lead the world in ocean energy deployments, and last year its tidal projects produced record volumes of electricity.Annual installations - 3.7 MW of tidal stream capacity was put in the water in 2018. This represents more than twice the capacity installed in 2017, making this a solid year for tidal activity.26.8 MW of tidal stream technology has been deployed in Europe since 2010. Of this, 11.9 MW is currently operating, and 14.9 MW has been decommissioned as projects successfully complete their testing programmes.Over the past decade…