Second EMEC test berth for Orbital
Scottish based tidal energy developer Orbital Marine Power has signed up to a second berth at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.
This will pave the way for Orbital to deliver its first floating tidal turbine farm.
Orbital is currently in the process of manufacturing their first commercial O2 turbine; at 2MW and with a swept area of over 600m2 the O2 will be the world’s most powerful tidal turbine and will be capable of meeting the annual electricity demand of over 1,700 UK homes.
Orbital was successful in raising £7 million in crowdfunding to deliver the first O2 turbine along with being awarded £3.4 million by the Scottish Government through the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund. The O2 project is also being supported with European funding via the Horizon 2020 FloTEC project and Interreg NWE ITEG project.
The first O2 turbine is currently expected to be grid connected at EMEC by the end of 2020 with a view to being fully operational in early 2021.
Securing a second berth at EMEC provides a route for the company to deliver a 4MW floating farm at EMEC’s Fall of Warness tidal energy test site, off Orkney’s northern island of Eday. Estimated installation for the second turbine is 2022.
Power exported from the turbines, via EMEC’s subsea cable and onshore substation, will feed the national grid on Orkney. During the previous testing campaign of the company’s SR2000 turbine in 2018, up to 25% of the Orkney electricity demand was met by the single prototype at times.
By Jake Frith
Related Articles
MARINE CONSTRUCTION
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT