Powering up Clean Energy for the future in Orkney at the European Marine Energy Centre
Article by: Rick DesChênes McGrath
Main Article Source :
http://www.orkneymarinerenewables.com/news/26-may-2017-emec-success-at-young-professionals-green-energy-awards
Website:
http://www.orkneymarinerenewables.com/
There are great inventions, and then there are the Greatest inventions! This new breaking technology is definitely among those latter ones. Tidal Energy has been just sitting there for millions if not billions of years and for reasons of profitability to the benefit of a select group of more governing forces in the financial competitive markets of “Permitted” energy sources, this great natural resource has simply for ages been discounted and throttled.
This global situation has been a serious and problematic issue touching upon not only profitability, but the environmental side of things as well, where the proliferation of new technology has been thwarted, buried under patent laws and regulations and in the past vehemently suppressed, governed and disallowed.... Up until NOW!
A very tantalizing surge of hope boils up to the surface as this era of waste begins to fall back making way to a new era of environmentally friendly technologies which are taking a long awaited leap forward. Welcoming in this positive change, we find a very apposite forerunner! Say hello to ‘Scotrenewables Tidal Power Limited’, an innovative Scottish engineering company which developed a new technology turbine which harnesses the power of tidal energy.
In development since 2002, the company accomplished a world’s first, exporting power to the UK grid from a smaller 250kW model in 2012. Currently, launched from the Harland & Wolff shipyard, Belfast, in May 2016 and later hauled to Orkney, the SR2000 is the biggest operating tidal turbine in the world.
Cited Support sources for the project;
....“Along with investments from Scotrenewables’ shareholders which include ABB, DP Energy, Fred Olsen, Total and Scottish Government via the Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF), the SR2000 project has been supported by Scottish Enterprise’s WATERS II scheme”.
In April of 2017 enters the SR2000 tidal turbine with a 2MW capacity setting a new benchmark in the tidal generator industry. Within a constant 24hr testing period, Scotrenewables have generated over 18MWh; a performance level matched only by massive sea positioned wind turbines yet at a lower maintenance, lower cost and higher efficiency rating.
Andrew Scott, CEO of Scotrenewables, pointed out in a statement that they are quote... “still in the early stages of our demonstration program”.
Scotrenewables Tidal Power, is an Orkney Islands based corporation located off the coast of Scotland. It has been developing the device for12 years focusing on a low-cost energy production generator and has received financial backing from a number of private investors as well as the Scottish government.
Estimates indicate that it could generate 160 TWh per year globally. Tidal energy is a great yet underused resource. There are over 30 areas in the UK where tidal generators could add to the UK’s energy source, many countries where this new technology would be implementable as a viable sustainable energy source.
The SR2000 Stats
Weight: 500 tones, Length: 64 meters, Rotor Diameter: 16 meters, Rotor Speed: 16 rpm, Rated Power: 2 MW
http://www.scotrenewables.com/news
For more on sustainable safe energy see:
http://www.opusenergyblog.com/dutch-focus-on-offshore-wind-helps-to-reduce-carbon-footprint/
http://www.opusenergyblog.com/ultimate-guide-renewable-energy-types/
http://www.scotrenewables.com/tidal-resource/tidal