Orkney-based Scotrenewables Tidal Power has launched its 2MW SR2000 tidal turbine at Harland & Wolff Heavy Industries in Belfast.
The 550-tonne machine is the first commercial scale machine the company has built. The turbine should undergo preliminary tow trials in Belfast Lough before being towed to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney to begin a grid-connected test programme.
The SR2000 is the culmination of more than 12 years of engineering R&D programme, with the project being supported by £1.25m funding under the Scottish Government’s WATERS2 initiative.
The turbine design follows Scotrenewables’ floating generating platform philosophy, which the company expects will deliver a step-change cost and risk reduction to the commercial tidal energy sector.
Steel fabrication of the machine was carried out by fabricators in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England with assembly and commissioning of the SR2000 taking place at Harland & Wolff shipyard over the past 12 months.
The company’s CEO, Andrew Scott , said: “This is an exciting time for the company and a major milestone to reach, and is the result of an enormous effort by a dedicated team at Scotrenewables. We’ve also been fortunate to have been supported by a committed group of suppliers through the build, especially here with Harland and Wolff in Belfast.
“We’re now looking forward to getting the machine up to EMEC and start the test programme to demonstrate more of the clear engineering and cost advantages our approach can bring to the commercial tidal sector.”