A GB£2m cash injection from the Scottish Government will help advance tidal turbine manufacturing.

tidal turbine

Nova Innovation has been awarded the funding, delivered through Scottish Enterprise, for its VOLT (VOlume Manufacturing and Logistics for Tidal Energy) project that will develop the first European assembly line to mass manufacture tidal turbines, and trial innovative techniques and tools to ship, deploy and monitor turbines around the world.

Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova Innovation, said: “Nova has an exceptional track record for delivery, and we look forward to successfully delivering the VOLT project - making tidal energy mainstream worldwide.”

The project will examine how to improve turbine performance, logistics for mass manufacture, and develop new techniques to ensure cost-effective delivery of tidal turbines. VOLT will also deliver an adaptable Remote Observation Platform (ROP) for rapid environmental monitoring of tidal energy sites.

Nova Innovation’s turbines have been successfully powering the Shetland grid for over five years and will soon be deployed in North America and mainland Europe. In delivering VOLT, Nova will demonstrate what is required to efficiently scale up the production of tidal energy devices across the world.

The VOLT project will run from this year to 2023.

By Rebecca Jeffrey