Carbon Trust: Marine renewables will be ready for mass scale deployment in 10 years + funding for 6 UK based technologies

From Carbon Trust press release on feb 2nd:

"Marine energy is currently ten years behind offshore wind energy in its development, but [...] costs can be dramatically reduced over the next ten years, which could see up to a thousand devices operating in the water by 2020. [...] Marine energy will be ready for mass scale deployment and an important new commercial UK industry by 2020"

"[...] Generating electricity from the UK’s powerful wave and tidal resource not only plays a crucial role in meeting our climate change targets but also presents a significant economic opportunity for the UK. Wave alone presents a £2 billion economic opportunity for the UK. [...] Carbon Trust analysis shows that 25% of the world’s wave and tidal technologies are being developed in the UK. Marine energy is an emerging industry with massive growth potential and each successful technology is competing for a stake in what will be a major growth industry.”

Details on Carbon Trust new funding:

" Carbon Trust [...] announces the six most promising technologies that will today receive £22m new funding to speed up the deployment of full scale prototypes of their leading designs. [...]

Designed and managed by the Carbon Trust, the Marine Renewable Proving Fund (MRPF) uses new funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The MRPF marks a new level of commitment to developing wave and tidal technologies by helping the UK’s most promising technologies to progress towards early stage deployment and accelerating the first commercial projects in UK waters."

And this is what they look like:

	Hammerfest Strøm UK 1MW HS-1000 tidal system Norwegian blade system held in place by ballast, operating in Norway for severl years.Next generation will be deployed at EMEC in 2011.
	Voith 1MW Tidal Turbine German company established in hydropower turbine design. Tidal design uses propeller-style blades to drive turbines. 300kW prototype working off Korea.1MW design to be deployed at EMEC in 2011.
	Aquamarine 2.5MW Oyster 2 wave system Effectively a giant hinge that opens and closes from wave movement. Action drives water pumps that in turn drive turbines on land. Very few moving parts. The 315-kilowatt (kW) Oyster 1 device was officially connected to the National Grid at EMEC in November 2009 and is currently undergoing sea trials to gather data to finalise the Oyster 2 design, which will be deployed as a 2.5-megawatt (MW) pod of three linked devices powering a single onshore hydro-electric generator Deployment at EMEC in 2011 for commercial deployment planned in 2013
	Marine Current Turbines 1.2MW SeaGen tidal system 16m twin turbine system attached to central column has been operating in the Bristol channel for several years, and money will take system forward to commercial demonstration.
	Atlantis AK-1000 1MW Tidal Turbine Uses 18m bi-directional turbine design with high-efficiency blades. Only moving part in design is central shaft.To be deployed at EMEC in 2011.
	Pelamis P2 750kW wave system Characteristic ‘snake’ design generates electricity as articulations between units move. Modular design allows parts to be exchanged easily.Will be deployed at EMEC in the summer of 2010.

References:

http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/news/news/press-centre2010/2010/Pages/marine-energy-ready-for-mass-deployment.aspx

http://www.nce.co.uk/news/energy/uk-to-dominate-in-marine-and-tidal-energy/5213690.article?sm=5213690

http://www.aquamarinepower.com/technologies/

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/02/aquamarine-gets-5-1m-to-develop-oyster-2?cmpid=WNL-Friday-February5-2010

The issue of foundations for deep water offshore wind turbines

As the industry is planning to install turbines further offshore, there will be the need of developing new foundations technology; this will be a serious engineering challenge.

Most of the UK Round3 development sites will be in 30m waters or deeper. Current technology cannot really cope with this sort of depth.

Carbon Trust UK is coordinating some effort into this as part of their Offshore Wind Accelleration program. The stated objective is to <find new foundation designs for deeper water 30-45m and 45-60m>.

nce.co.uk suggests that 4 prototypes are currently being trialled

nce.co.uk also lists some of the R&D work done in this area:

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• UK consultant Gifford is pioneering a large concrete gravity base structure which will be ferried to site by submersive transport and an installation barge (NCE 26 November 2009).
• Dutch firm Suction Pile Technology has put forward a self installing foundation solution.
• US consultant Keystone Engineering is developing a spider-like tripod with three supporting legs angled around a central pile in a twisted jacket.
• US  marine consultant Glosten Associates has proposed a floating wind turbine which comprises a buoyant hull, tendons and an anchorage system.

>

References:

Carbon Trust, New Civil Engineer nce.co.uk

New investment paves way for UK’s first commercial-scale tidal farm | New Civil Engineer

  via nce.co.uk - 21 December, 2009

£3.5M of investment from Carbon Trust Investments Limited, Bank Invest, EDF Energy and High Tide will enable the construction of the first commercial tidal energy farm in UK waters within the next two years.  British tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT) has raised £3.5M from an investor group led by Carbon Trust Investments Limited and including Bank Invest, EDF Energy, High Tide and a group of significant private investors, to help MCT in its plans to deploy the UK’s first commercial tidal energy farm.

  MCT is the developer of SeaGen, the world’s first and largest grid-connected system that extracts energy from tidal currents. Part of the new funding will support MCT’s first deployment of SeaGen in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough which has now been successfully operating for more than six months. The company is now also looking to export its technology abroad.

 Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay said MCT is a key player in the UK’s growing marine energy sector.

  “MCT has developed one of the leading tidal energy devices and its proven technology is now ready to be deployed in a commercial-scale tidal farm which will be a UK first,” he said. “The UK is leading the way in marine energy and stands to reap the rewards through new jobs and revenue.”

  Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt said there is enormous potential to be harnessed through wave and tidal power in the UK. “We have the natural resources, the technical skills, and the talent to lead the world in this kind of advanced green manufacturing, which I believe will be the economic success story of the 21st century.”

  MCT managing director Martin Wright said: “We see this significant investment, allied by the Government’s actions to encourage tidal and wave energy, giving the company a massive boost to realise the commercial opportunities that exist in the UK as well as overseas markets.”

  Making progress

 MCT installed the world’s first commercial scale tidal stream turbine, the 1.2 MW SeaGen, in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland in 2008. The device is now operating remotely and generating power that is being sold to ESB Independent Energy under a Power Purchase Agreement helping to supply businesses across Northern Ireland with renewable electricity.

 The Carbon Trust’s investment is drawn from a new £18M fund, provided by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, announced by the Carbon Trust last month. The new fund is designed to speed up Britain’s move towards a low carbon economy by providing promising UK clean energy sector companies with investment over the next 12-18 months.