The 1.2-MW tidal current turbine, “the largest megawatt scale grid-connected marine renewable energy system in the world”, has achieved a capacity factor of 66% and so far delivered 800MWh to the National Grid. As SeaGen is accredited by OFGEM as a UK power station, it receives Renewable Obligation Certificates.
This high capacity factor means that the tidal turbine delivers energy on average at the same rate to be expected from a wind turbine of approximately twice the rated power. Furthermore, output is totally predictable. Marine Current Turbines (MCT) reports that performance has exceeded expectations, largely thanks to the intensity of the Strangford Lough tide race and the company’s own conservative design predictions.
“We are delighted with SeaGen’s performance,” said Martin Wright, MCT’s Managing Director. “Passing the 1,000 hours mark is a great milestone which not only demonstrates the potential for tidal power, but will also help to reinforce confidence in extracting energy from the seas in the future.”
Since starting operation in late 2008, SeaGen’s operation has been limited by its licence conditions to daylight hours, and it is only since the autumn (2009) that SeaGen has operated automatically and without the presence of “marine mammal observers” on board. It was this change that has allowed a considerable increase in SeaGen’s operational hours.
The company is now preparing SeaGen for more intensive operation and it is hoped to gain consent for continuous “24/7” operation before the summer. In the next few weeks, MCT’s also plans to run SeaGen under supervision of specialists from DNV (Det Norsk Veritas), one of the world’s leading marine classification societies, to obtain independent verification of its performance.
“SeaGen is operating as it was designed to do. Crucially, the operational experience and data that we are gaining every day is hugely valuable as we work towards deploying the UK’s first tidal farm within the next two years,” said Wright.
In September 2009, MCT was ranked the world’s top tidal energy company in The Guardian/Clean Tech Global 100 Survey and in June 2009, it won Renewable Energy Developer of the Year in the UK Renewable Energy Association Annual Awards.
Meanwhile, last week the company close to €3.1 million from the Carbon Trust’s Marine Renewables Proving Fund to support the company’s evaluation and operation of SeaGen as a precursor to the deployment of a tidal farm by MCT in UK waters.
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