World’s Largest Tidal Turbine

Jan 19, 2016

Scotrenewables Tidal Power (SRTP) has demonstrated the most powerful and largest tidal turbine in the world. SR2000 (two-megawatt) floating turbine system in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast is the first large scale machine built by the company. The turbine is 65 meters long, 3 meters in diameter, and weighs in at 550 tons.

It has taken 12+ years of research to design and test, but it’s a significant approach to tidal energy generation and is a floating device and not mounted device at seabed. The majority of device components and sub components have low cost access for maintenance.

SR2000 will now undergo an intensive grid connected testing at the European Marine Energy Centre this year. Turbine’s vital control systems are protected by watertight seals from flooding and water ingress for over a 20-year period.  

The company is offering a guaranteed strike price – the amount paid for the electricity produced – of £305 per MW hour for wave and tidal projects through till 2019. With 16 meters rotors in diameter, the power take off systems of the turbine has been optimized for fast tidal current regions, such as France, Scotland, and Canada. It has been designed in such a way that all installation, operation and maintenance can be carried out by locally based vessels. This would certainly a step-changer floating approach to tidal energy that can be offered to the commercial sector.

Source: http://www.windpowerengineering.com/construction/projects/turbines-head-underwater/