1.2 MW Commercial Tidal Energy System to Demo in August (UK)

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48862

Marine Current Turbines confirmed on Wednesday that installation of its SeaGen commercial tidal energy system will begin during the week of August 20th in Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough marine nature reserve. According to the company, the 1.2 megawatt (MW) capacity system will be the world's largest ever tidal current device once connected to the grid.

A commercial demonstration project with permission to operate in Strangford Lough for a period of up to 5 years, the installation of SeaGen this summer represents Phase 2 in a three-part company plan to develop full-scale commercial tidal farms.

"We will build on the success of SeaGen to develop a commercial tidal farm, of up to 10 MW in UK waters, within the next three years. With the right funding and regulatory framework, we believe we can realistically achieve up to 500 MW of tidal capacity by 2015 based on this new SeaGen technology," said Martin Wright, managing director of Marine Current Turbines.

Future turbines, which will generally be rated at from 750 to 1500 kilowatts (kW) per unit (depending on the local flow pattern and peak velocity), will be grouped under the sea, at places with high currents, in much the same way that wind turbines in a wind farm are set out in rows to catch the wind.

<more>

[On the Road]

1. Water is So Dense

I would think it be much more productive than air and make up for the greater cost of underwater construction and maintenance. There is more than enough energy around if we just figure out how to harness it.

[TheMadMonk]

3. It also has a nasty habit of smashing the works of man to smitherenes.

[JDPriestly]

2. Surprised it took so long.

Baron de Rothschild was enthusiastic about the potential of this technology back in 1974. More than a quarter of a century had to pass before it is realized. Consider how far other technology has gone in that time.

Beyond that, this is good news.