Daniel Englander

Marine Current Turbines Installs Full-Scale SeaGen May 21, 2008 at 9:52 AM

Marine Current Turbines, a leading British tidal energy company, has completed the installation of its first full-scale tidal turbine. The 1.2 MW, 1,000 ton SeaGen turbine was deployed in early April, and the company has worked for the past six weeks on securing the monopile structure to the seafloor. MCT has estimated the SeaGen turbine creates more than 100 tons of thrust, requiring an extensive seafloor embedding system to prevent postholing.

The turbine, which is installed off the coast of Strangford Lough, will sell electricity into Northern Ireland’s grid through a PPA the company signed with ESB Independent Energy. MCT thinks the dual 16 meter turbines on the device will be operational for 18 to 20 hours a day, providing electricity for roughly 1,000 homes. The installation is a significant step for MCT, which installed its first 300 kW prototype off the Devon coast in 2003. The company has formed a joint venture with npower renewables to deploy a 10.5 MW, seven turbine array near the Welsh island of Anglesey by 2011. If successful, this will be the world’s largest tidal power installation. MCT is also in talks to deploy turbines in the Bay of Fundy near New Brunswick and the Campbell River near Vancouver.

Competitor Lunar Energy, which is developing a 1 MW Venturi turbine, has an even more ambitious project planned. Lunar will work with Korean Midland Power Company on a £500 million, 300 MW tidal energy project set to come online by 2015. The company has planned a 1 MW pilot installation in the Wando Hoenggan Water Way in South Korea for March 2009. Lunar’s 11.5 meter turbine and MCT’s 16 meter turbine produce the same amount of electricity as a 55 meter wind turbine. This, in combination with tidal energy’s inherent predictability, may make it a formidable competitor to offshore wind.

Incidentally, Marine Current Turbines has also won the official Greentech Media award for Best Address in the Industry. Please address all fan mail to:

Marine Current Turbines Ltd
The Court
The Green
Stoke Gifford
Bristol
BS34 8PD

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