Orkney tidal project hailed a ‘phenomenal’ success after record breaking first year The SR2000 turbine generated enough electricity to power 830 homes for a year

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.

“This milestone for the tidal energy industry truly demonstrates the untapped potential of this emerging sector” The i newsletter latest news and analysis Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Hannah Smith, Scottish Renewables

It has since generated three gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from almost continuous operation, enough to power around 830 households around 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.

Easy to repair

Although it is visible from the sea 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.”

Andrew Scott, the chief executive officer of Scotrenewables, said the SR2000’s performance had been “phenomenal” but said UK Government support for tidal projects had dwindled just when the technology was taking off.

“We are dismayed that there is a total lack of market support here in the UK for our technology, and we have no option but to focus our business on overseas opportunities,” he added.

EMEC’s Jonathan Lindsay added: “Wind has had about 50 years from when it first started, whereas wave and tidal has really been over the last 10 years or so and has actually made quite a lot of progress in that time.

“As we move forward we will see bigger and bigger machines coming along.”