Giant tidal turbine hailed as a ‘phenomenal’ success
● Device generates more electricity than whole wave sector did before it
A giant turbine floating in the seas off Orkney has been hailed as a “phenomenal” success after generating more electricity in a single year than Scotland’s entire wave and tidal sector did before it.
The SR2000, a 63m-long device which harnesses the power of the seas using submerged rotors, was launched in 2016 and installed west of Eday in August last year.
It has since generated three gigawatt-hours (GWH) of electricity from almost continuous operation, enough to power around 830 households across the UK for a year.
This is far more successful than the 30 different prototypes tested by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney in the 12 years before the SR2000 was launched.
Between them, those projects only generated 2.8 GWH of electricity. The SR2000’S developers, Scotrenewables Tidal Power, said it had set a “new benchmark” for the tidal industry.
At times during its first year, the floating device’s 2MW turbine has been supplying more than a quarter of the electricity demand of the Orkney Islands.
Older prototypes involved machines similar to wind turbines being fixed to the seabed, but the SR2000 floats on the surface and has rotors hanging below, taking advantage of tidal currents. Although it is visible from the sea’s surface, this design makes it easier and cheaper for engineers to carry out maintenance tasks, as its moving parts are far more accessible. The development is the latest sign that tidal energy has significant untapped potential in meeting Scotland’s energy needs. Four tidal turbines deployed in the Pentland Firth after the launch of the SR2000 have since gone on to generate more than 8 GWH of electricity in their first year.
“This milestone for the tidal energy industry truly demonstrates the untapped potential of this emerging sector,” said Hannah Smith, senior policy manager at trade body Scottish Renewables. Scotland’s remarkable marine energy resource has placed us front and centre in developing this industry with global potential.
“To keep driving progress it’s critical that both Scottish and UK Governments recognise the potential of these technologies and work with industry to fully commercialise these innovations.”
In the 1970s, Edinburgh University scientist Steven Salter invented what became known as “Salter’s ducks”. The device was designed to sit on the surface of the sea, turning the energy of the waves into electricity with every “nod” of its head.
The 1973 oil crisis – which those of a certain generation may remember as a period when families sat around playing board games by candlelight – had suddenly made alternative sources of energy interesting. While the project showed promise, it was eventually shelved in the early 1980s after oil prices fell and the government withdrew funding. In hindsight, it may have been a missed chance.
The UK was also slow to pick up on the potential of wind energy while countries like Denmark stole a march in the 1980s. The Danish firm Vestas, which now employs more than 24,000 people, has since installed 94 gigawatts of wind turbines in 79 countries, more than any other company in the world.
However, this tale of opportunities lost may be about to enter a new chapter, one that could finally lead to a happy ending.
A tidal turbine installed beneath the waves near Orkney has managed to operate almost continuously for a year. Orkney’s European Marine Energy Centre has tested 30 different devices since 2003, but the SR2000 is by far the most successful, generating more electricity than all of the others combined. Four other tidal turbines in the Pentland Firth, installed after the SR2000 began operating, have also produced large amounts of electricity in their first year.
So it would appear that tidal power is on the brink of providing clean, renewable energy on a commercial scale; this could be a false dawn but it could also be the beginning of a major global industry.
The decline in the North Sea oil industry has been so marked that Andrew Wilson did not include revenue from the sector in the recent Growth Commission report on the economics of an independent Scotland, deciding to treat any income produced simply as a bonus. The oil industry has been a driving force of the Scottish economy for years, but it has also given Scotland a considerable headstart in what could be a tidal energy revolution – a workforce skilled in heavy engineering at sea.
As the world moves to a zerocarbon economy, Scotland must make sure it doesn’t miss another chance to grasp the future.