Wind power (wind power), sunlight (photovoltaics) and the internal heat of the earth (geothermal energy) are used to generate electricity. But there is another natural resource that could become one of the most important sources of sustainable energy in many parts of the world and that is almost unused today: strong tidal currents in the ocean.
The so-called tidal energy generates an electrical current that uses the periodic ups and downs of the sea water, caused by the gravitational effects of the sun and moon, in the coastal areas of the continents and archipelagos. It is a technique that can only be used in coastal areas with some relief and tide heights. Huge potential and, according to various obstetricians, could soon catch up with solar and wind energy.
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The strongest so far
Well, recently the most powerful tidal power plant in the world called Orbital 02 or O2 went into operation. Capable of delivering 2 megawatts of electricity to the UK’s local terrestrial power grid, which you are connected to via submarine cables, explains manufacturer Orbital Marine Power (OMP).
This floating “marine” system was installed in the Fall of Warness at the European Marine Energy Center (Emec) (www.emec.org.uk): a test site for “tidal current turbines” on the Orkney Islands (Orkney) north of Scotland (UK ).
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The O2 plant consists of a floating structure, with one part submerged and equipped at sea level and the other two twin turbines with a generating capacity of 1 MW each and the like that work in hydropower plants of rivers and reservoirs that rotate, powered by water , generate electricity.
This platform rests on anchor chains on the sea floor in the middle of an area of strong tidal currents. Underwater turbine rotors capture the energy of flowing water in an area where tide speeds can exceed 3 meters per second, according to Orbital Marine.
Hopefully, this clean, renewable, and predictable source of energy from fast flowing water will spur the tidal currents to work.
The anchor consists of four chains, each of which has sufficient strength to withstand the pressure. According to the manufacturers, lift more than 50 double-decker buses (this popular London means of transport).
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The two-way-two-way turbine is attached to the elongated floating structure (tubular structure) with a kind of “wing”, which in turn has retractable “steel arms” which, thanks to a hydraulic system, are submerged in the sea turbines to become turn and generate electricity, or it can be brought up to the roof for maintenance work on it.
15 years of work
Construction of the O2 plant began in the second half of 2019. Manufactured and commissioned in early 2021 in the Scottish port city of Dundee, then towed to Orkney, is Orbital’s first commercial turbine and the culmination of more than 15 years of development to the company.
The installation, consisting of a 74-meter-long hull and two 10-meter blades in each of its turbines, which together form a rotor with a 20-meter diameter, is expected to run in the city’s waters for the next fifteen years in order to fulfill the requirements annual electricity needs of around 2,000 British families, according to OM.
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Two nacelles generate electricity (the turbine itself) from O2. They alternately flush over 600 square meters of water that flows through the tides, absorbs its mechanical energy and converts it into electrical energy.
“We hope that a clean, renewable and predictable source of energy from fast-flowing water will be the catalyst for harnessing tidal currents around the world and creating a new low-carbon industrial sector,” said Andrew Scott, CEO of OMP.
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With this system up and running, Orbital had its next goal of installing more multi-megawatt floating systems in UK waters and forecast that the cost of generating electricity would drop sharply from this system and solar energy.
Manufacturers say the electrical power generated by O2 offsets the production of about 2,200 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
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Daniel Galilea
EFE. Reports
