Development of tidal stream generators
Many tidal stream generators (also called tidal stream turbines, tidal energy converters) have been developed of the years to harness the power of tidal currents flowing around coastlines. Note that these operate on a different principal to tidal barrages or lagoons, that generate power by impounding the rising and falling tide.
Lots of different technology variants have been tested, and unlike wind turbines there has not been convergence on a predominant typology. Most have been horizontal-axis, like wind turbines, but with 2, 3, or more blades and either mounted on a seabed fixed foundation or on a floating platform. In addition, vertical-axis turbines and tidal kites are also being developed. Some
Historically, development has largely been focused around Europe, but devices have been built and tested in North America, and Japan (and others). The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney was granted a license in 2016 to test up to 10 MW of tidal stream device in the Fall of Warness, to the west of the island of Eday, and has since hosted the testing of many of these devices.
There have been various acquisitions of technology developers over the years. Many of the companies are no longer trading, or have ceased development of tidal-stream turbines. However, the first pre-commercial array demonstration projects have been operating since around 2016. Building on this, commercial arrays are expected to be operational by around 2027, at EMEC, Morlais and elsewhere.
Development timeline
Key historical milestones in the development of tidal-stream turbines are summarised below:
- In 2004, the world’s first tidal-stream turbine was connected to an electricity grid, the Hammerfest Strøm HS300, located in the waters of Kvalsundet, Finnmark, Norway.[1]
- In May 2008, OpenHydro was the first tidal turbine connected to the National Grid in Great Britain. The 250 kW device was tested in the Fall of Warness, Eday, Orkney.[2]
- In 2016, a dedicated pre-consented site for testing tidal stream turbines was set up at the European Marine Energy Centre, to simplify the process for developers.
Key companies and turbines
Many companies have focused on the development of technology to harness tidal stream energy. A non-exhaustive list of key companies is given below.
Andritz Hydro Hammerfest
Hammerfest Strøm AS was a Norwegian developer of tidal stream turbines, based in Hammerfest. In 2010, Austrian hydropower company Andritz AG bought one third of the shares.[3] In 2012, Andritz became the majority stakeholder and rebranded the company Andritz Hydro Hammerfest.[4]
In November 2003, Hammerfest Strøm installed their HS300 turbine in Kvalsundet, Norway.[5] This 300 kW prototype was a 20 m diameter three-bladed horizontal-axis turbine. It sat on a monopile foundation in 50 m deep water. It was connected to the grid in 2014, and operated for over 16,000 hours before it was decommissioned in 2011 and removed in 2012.[1][6]
A more powerful 1MW device was then tested at EMEC from 2012. The HS1000 was also a 20 m diameter three-bladed horizontal-axis turbine, installed at the Fall of Warness test site in December 2011.[7][8]
Three Andritz Hydro Hammerfest AH1000 MK1 turbines were installed as part of phase 1 of the MeyGen project in 2016. These turbines are still three-bladed, but with an 18 m diameter rotor and each rated at 1.5 MW.[9]
List of grid-connected tidal stream generators
Over the years, many different tidal stream turbines have been deployed and tested at sea, and have delivered power to the local electricity grid. A non-exhaustive list is given in the table below.
| Manufacturer & Turbine | Power
(MW) |
Country | Location | Coordinates | Comm | Decom | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCT, SeaFlow | 0.3 |  UK,  England
|
Lynmouth, Devon | 2003-01 | 2006-01 | ||
| Hammerfest Strom, HS300 | 0.3 |  Norway
|
Kvalsund | 2004-01 | 2011-01 | [1][5][6] | |
| MCT, SeaGen | 1.2 | UK,  Northern Ireland
|
Strangford Narrows | 2008-12 | 2018-08 | ||
| Orbital, SR250 | 0.25 | UK
|
EMEC | 2011-01 | 2013-08 | ||
| Hammerfest Strom, HS1000 | 1 | EMEC | 2012-02 | 2015-01 | |||
| Nova Innovation, M100 | 0.1 | Bluemull Sound, Shetland | 2016-03 | 2023-06 | |||
| Nova Innovation, M100 | 0.1 | Bluemull Sound, Shetland | 2016-07 | 2023-06 | |||
| Orbital, SR2000 | 2 | EMEC | 2016-10 | 2018-08 | |||
| SIMEC Atlantis, HS1500 | 1.5 | Meygen | 2016-12 | Operational | |||
| SIMEC Atlantis, AR1500 ×3 | 1.5 | Meygen | 2017-02 | Operational | |||
| Nova Innovation, M100 | 0.1 | Bluemull Sound, Shetland | 2017-07 | 2023-06 | |||
| ADAG and SeaPower, GEM | 0.1 |  Italy
|
Venice lagoon | 2017-11 | check | ||
| Magallanes Renovables, ATIR | 2 | UK
|
EMEC | 2019-02 | 2020-01 | ||
| Nova Innovation, M100-D | 0.1 | Bluemull Sound, Shetland | 2020-10 | Operational | |||
| Magallanes Renovables, ATIR | 1.5 | EMEC | 2021-04 | ||||
| Orbital, O2 | 2 | EMEC | 2021-10 | Operational | |||
| Nova Innovation, M100-D x2 | 0.1 | Bluemull Sound, Shetland | 2023-01 | Operational |
- ^ a b c ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest. Renewable energy from tidal currents (PDF) (Report). p. 7. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "OpenHydro turbine connected to UK grid". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ "Andritz acquires stake in tidal hydro firm Hammerfest Strom". Hydro Review. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Visser, Anne (2012-04-23). "Norway: Hammerfest Strøm Changes Its Name to ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest". Offshore Wind. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ a b Askheim, Svein. "Kvalsundet tidevannskraftverk". In Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ a b "Kvalsund Tidal Turbine Prototype | Tethys". tethys.pnnl.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ "Giant tidal device set for tests off Orkney". BBC News. 2011-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ REN21 (June 2012). Renewables 2012 Global Status Report (PDF) (Report). p. 46. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "MeyGen". SAE Renewables. Retrieved 2023-12-21.