Marine Current Turbines Ltd and its project partners Queen’s University Belfast, Mojo Maritime and Edinburgh University, have secured a grant of £250,000 from the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council to develop a fully submerged (but easily surfaceable) SeaGen tidal turbine that can be deployed in deep water sites where there are large tidal ranges or significant wave environments.
The project will be led by Marine Current Turbines and will build on the success of the company’s SeaGen tidal system which has been generating electricity into the grid since 2008.
The announcement of the new funding coincided with a visit today to the SeaGen project, located in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough, by the UK Energy Minister, Charles Hendry. It was Mr Hendry’s first visit to a marine energy project since taking office in May.
UK Energy Minister, Charles Hendry, said: “Wave and tidal stream technologies, such as SeaGen, have the potential to supply millions of homes with low carbon energy - reducing our dependency on foreign energy imports and cutting dangerous greenhouse gas emissions. SeaGen, which has received financial support from the UK Government, is an excellent example of the UK's world-class engineering and offshore expertise and skills. We want marine energy technologies to take their rightful place as part of a secure, low carbon system in the future."
The new funding from the Technology Strategy Board and the EPSRC is part of a £7million funding package awarded to 9 wave and tidal stream research and development projects. The projects are focusing on the twin aims of driving down the cost of energy while improving the reliability and performance of wave and tidal stream energy devices. Some of the projects will look to enhance the performance of existing devices while others aim to develop novel, breakthrough concepts.
Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines said: “By developing a fully submerged device, we will be able to deploy our tidal stream technology in more areas, both in the UK and overseas which is an exciting prospect. The experience that we have gained with SeaGen’s deployment and commercial operation is a huge asset in taking forward the development of the next-generation technology, and we greatly welcome the support given to us and our partners by the Technology Strategy Board, the EPSRC and the UK Government.”
Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: “By 2050 we are going to have very different energy needs than we have today and we will be getting our energy from different sources. The UK is well placed to exploit wave and tidal stream energy resources with all of the coast line that we have, and it is expected this kind of technology will be an important part of the renewable energy mix needed in the future.
“We still need to prove which technological solutions will most successfully harness marine energy and we need to reduce the cost of the energy produced to make the technology competitive with other renewable energy solutions. So there are a range of technological challenges to address.”
MCT’s new technology will use similar turbines, power trains and control systems to those already proven with SeaGen. As with the present system, the next-generation SeaGen will be able to be maintained above the surface of the water. SeaGen is also unique in being the world’s first such system having sufficient internal air-filled space to carry the equipment essential to produce fully grid compliant electricity.
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About the Technology Strategy Board:
The TSB is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the Government. Its role is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org
About Marine Current Turbines:
1. Marine Current Turbines Ltd (www.marineturbines.com) is based in Bristol, England. The company was established in 2000 and its principal corporate shareholders include BankInvest, Carbon Trust Investments, EDF Energy, ESB International, Guernsey Electricity, High Tide and Siemens Energy. The company is chaired by Paul Lester, the former Chief Executive of VT Group plc.
2. In September 2009, MCT was ranked the world’s top tidal energy company in The Guardian/Clean Tech Global 100 Survey and in June 2009 won Renewable Energy Developer of the Year in the UK Renewable Energy Association Annual Awards.
3. MCT’s 1.2MW SeaGen was deployed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough in April 2008; it has the capacity to generate electricity for the equivalent of about 1500 homes and has the equivalent in energy output as a 2.5MW onshore wind turbine. SeaGen works in principle much like an “underwater windmill” with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind. The SeaGen turbine is subject to a rigorous monitoring programme imposed under its licensing conditions to ensure it does not threaten the marine life of Strangford Lough where it is located.
4. SeaGen is accredited by OFGEM as a UK power station and so is a recipient of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs).
5. Since February 2008, MCT has partnered RWE npower renewables on plans to develop a 10MW tidal farm in waters off Anglesey, north Wales and is working with Minas Bay Pulp & Paper to deploy a single SeaGen system in Canada’s Bay of Fundy.
6. In March 2010, MCT secured approval for a lease from The Crown Estate to deploy its SeaGen tidal current technology off Brough Ness, on the southern most tip of the Orkney Islands (South Ronaldsay) and north east of John O’Groats. The company plans to have its first phase of SeaGen tidal turbines deployed there during 2017 with the whole scheme operational by 2020.
For further information:
Marine Current Turbines (www.marineturbines.com)
Peter Fraenkel, Technical Director
Tel: 0117 979 1888 / 07813 322854
Paul Taylor (Taylor Keogh Communications)
Tel: 020 3170 8465 / 07966 782611