The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Atlantis Resources have announced the testing of Atlantis’ AR1500 1.5 MW tidal turbine at National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth, UK.
The turbine will undergo a six week testing programme aimed at de-risking the AR1500’s deployment by proving the reliability and validating the performance of its power train system.
The Catapult’s 3 MW power train test rig will be used to simulate the dynamic forces the turbine will experience during operation, and according to ORE Catapult, this type of testing is critical to ensuring that any technical issues are resolved prior to deployment, minimising the risk of early complications and unplanned maintenance.
Luke Murray , Design Director at Atlantis Resources, said: “The ability to check the performance characteristics of the turbine, validate the control system, and prove the AR1500’s reliability prior to deployment is a critical element in the technology’s development lifecycle and will provide the market and investors with value-added confidence.”
ORE Catapult and Atlantis are working together to develop the test plans to simulate the real life operating conditions of the turbine. ORE Catapult has also commenced the design of the steelwork required to hold the turbine in position during load testing.
Atlantis and ORE Catapult are collaborating on the €1.3 million Eurostars project to drive forward the development and deployment of the AR1500 tidal turbine, the series which is to be installed at MeyGen, in the Pentland Firth off Scotland.