ocean energy

Alstom tidal turbine produces electricity for the first time in real conditions

Alstom has successfully tested a 1MW tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) test site in Orkney, Scotland, following the company’s recent acquisition of Tidal Generation Ltd from Rolls Royce. It is the second Alstom such device to start generating electricity for the national grid following the earlier testing of a 500kW turbine. The 1MW turbine is already in situ as part of the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) commissioned and co-funded ReDAPT (Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal) consortium project.

Detailed testing and analysis in different operational conditions off Orkney will continue throughout the year over an 18 month period in order to further improve tidal power technology. The next stage of the process will be to install pilot arrays prior to full commercial production.

“The first generation from the 1MW turbine is a major milestone as we move forwards in commercialising the technology and continuing to learn about the marine environment in preparation for commercial tenders in France and the UK” said Rob Stevenson the Vice-President of Alstom Ocean.

The tidal turbine consists of a three-bladed, pitch-controlled rotor with an 18 metre diameter. It has a standard drivetrain and power electronics inside the 22 metre long nacelle which is installed onto a separate seabed-mounted foundation and weighs less than 150 tonnes.

The turbine has a number of notable features. It is easy to transport and its buoyancy means that it is easily installed and retrieved in a single tidal cycle using small vessels. This helps to reduce installation and maintenance costs. Secondly, it has an intelligent nacelle which is rotated by thrusters to reflect the direction of the tide, thus managing ebb and flood tides seamlessly was well as maximising energy production. Thirdly, its efficient blades mean that turbine blade pitching can be altered to control load and optimise use of the local tidal conditions.

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Alstom