Irish company DesignPro Renewables has said that its custom-built grid connected mooring system is running smoothly at the SEENEOH test site in Bordeaux, France.
In September 2018, D esignPro deployed a 25kW device at the SEENEOH test site as part of its €2.7-million Horizon 2020 SME Instrument funded project to develop and commercialise a range of small-scale hydrokinetic turbines using the GKinetic Energy technology concept.
All kinetic turbines perform best when they are properly aligned with the water flow, the company explains. The challenge was to develop a mooring system that allowed the turbine to turn 180 degrees at each change of tide and also allow for the floating platform to move 7 meters vertically as the tides rise and fall. All this while maintaining an electrical connection to the shore.
DesignPro said it believes it is the first to successfully implement this configuration.
“ This achievement is a testament to the excellent collaborative work between DesignPro, SEENEOH and Cerenis. This is a significant technical progression that can be applied to the company’s future products where required ,” DesignPro said in a press release.
Other significant outcomes from the testing of the 25kW device to date is that the platform is stable in the maximum flows at SEENEOH, the turbine components have been testing at maximum load conditions with no issues and the remote monitoring is up and running which provides live performance and power generation data. The company has remote SCADA access from the DesignPro monitoring facility in Limerick, Ireland.
DesignPro said it is now preparing for power curves to be verified by Bureau Veritas.