Aberdeen-based engineering company EC-OG has installed and switched on its Subsea Power Hub (SPH) system at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
EC-OG informed the system is fully operational after having been installed and switched on at EMEC’s Shapinsay Sound test site on April 13, 2017.
The unit, a subsea hybrid drive system that uses a combination of a marine energy converter coupled directly to a lithium based energy storage system, is currently performing in line with the technical predictions, according to EC-OG.
As a next step, EC-OG plans to leave the SPH running 100% autonomously with wireless data monitoring over the summer months.
Robert Cowman , Engineering Director at EC-OG, said: “Although the weather was not on our side, we were still able to successfully complete the installation and commence testing ahead of schedule.
“The system is performing very well and I’m pleased at how quickly the results are correlating with the theoretical basis for the test. Having a vertical axis turbine, means that the SPH is operating effectively in these unpredictable, sporadic flow conditions.”