Marine Current Turbines
Encyclopedia
Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT) is a United Kingdom
-based company which is developing tidal stream generator
s.
MCT was founded in 2000 to develop ideas of tidal power
developed by Peter Fraenkel, who had previously been a founder partner of IT Power, a consultancy established to further the development of sustainable energy
technologies. The company is based in Bristol
and employed 15 people in 2007.
By 2003, MCT had installed a 300 kW experimental tidal turbine 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northeast of Lynmouth
, Devon
and by 2008 they had a 1.2 MW turbine, SeaGen
, in Strangford Lough
, Northern Ireland
which was able to feed electricity into the National Grid.
They now have contracts to install a full tidal farm
in the Skerries
, off northwest Wales
and projects in the Bay of Fundy
, Nova Scotia
and Vancouver
, Canada
.
Because the blades are relatively slow moving (15 rpm)and there are only two, it is considered unlikely that there will be adverse environmental impacts on fish or other aquatic life, and a monitoring project has been set up in the Strangford Lough project to confirm this.
Two approaches are being followed, one for relatively shallow waters, up to 30 metres (98.4 ft), and the other for deeper waters. In shallow waters, the turbines are suspended on a tower which extends above the surface of the water and enables the turbines to be lifted clear of the water for maintenance purposes. But since the number of sites around the world where this is possible is finite, they are also developing fully submersed systems which will take advantage of larger scale, but will also be able to be brought to the surface for maintenance.
The SeaFlow project involved building a full-size prototype capable of producing 300 kW. This was installed off the Devon
coast near Lynmouth
in May 2003. It was the largest tidal turbine operating until SeaGen started.
was the first full-scale tidal flow power station to be connected to the grid to produce electricity for consumption. It was due to be installed in 2007 but delays with the installation barge meant that it was not installed until March 2008 after being modified extensively to permit the use of a crane barge rather than a jackup as originally planned.
It produced electricity on 14 July 2008.
However, subsequently a computer problem caused damage to one of the rotors and procuring a replacement took until towards the end of October 2008. However SeaGen was able to operate using just its good rotor through the summer of 2008 and that rotor was operated at full rated power of 600kW for many hours. After replacement of the damaged rotor SeaGen delivered its full rated power of 1.2MW for the first time on 18 December 2008 - believed to be the first time a "wet renewable energy system" has delivered in excess of 1MW.
, 7 of the SeaGen generators, producing about 10MW at peak, would be installed off the Skerries, a patch of very fast moving water off Anglesey
in northwest Wales
. An environmental consent application was submitted to the Welsh Government in March 2011, though financing still needs to be finalised.
's Maritime Tidal Energy Corporation in 2007 to develop tidal resources in the Bay of Fundy
. With a tidal range exceeding 15 metres (49.2 ft), and flows of up to 14 kilometre per hour, this area has long been favoured as the most promising source of tidal power and the newer tidal flow concepts mean that the associated shipping and environmental problems of barrage schemes are no longer prohibitive. MTEC concluded that MCT had the most proven technology of the companies evaluated..
On the west coast, they have also agreed to install at least three 1.2 MW turbines in the Campbell River
in British Columbia
as a first step in developing tidal farms in that river and other tidal waters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based company which is developing tidal stream generator
Tidal stream generator
A tidal stream generator, often referred to as a tidal energy converter is a machine that extracts energy from moving masses of water, in particular tides, although the term is often used in reference to machines designed to extract energy from run of river or tidal estuarine sites...
s.
MCT was founded in 2000 to develop ideas of tidal power
Tidal power
Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity....
developed by Peter Fraenkel, who had previously been a founder partner of IT Power, a consultancy established to further the development of sustainable energy
Sustainable energy
Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
technologies. The company is based in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and employed 15 people in 2007.
By 2003, MCT had installed a 300 kW experimental tidal turbine 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northeast of Lynmouth
Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor.The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and by 2008 they had a 1.2 MW turbine, SeaGen
SeaGen
SeaGen is the world's first large scale commercial tidal stream generator. It is four times more powerful than any other tidal stream generator in the world....
, in Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough, sometimes Strangford Loch, is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards Peninsula. The name Strangford is derived ; describing the fast-flowing narrows at its mouth...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
which was able to feed electricity into the National Grid.
They now have contracts to install a full tidal farm
Tidal farm
A tidal farm is a group of multiple tidal stream generators assembled in the same location used for production of electric power, similar to the that of a wind farm. The low-voltage powerlines from the individual units are then connected to a substation, where the voltage is stepped-up with the use...
in the Skerries
The Skerries, Anglesey
The Skerries are a group of sparsely-vegetated rocky islets, with a total area of about , lying 3 km offshore from Carmel Head at the northwest corner of Anglesey, Wales...
, off northwest Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and projects in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Technology
The technology developed by MCT works much the same as a submerged windmill, driven by the flow of water rather than air. Tidal flows are more predictable than air flows both in time and maximum velocity and it is therefore possible to bring designs closer to the theoretical maximum. The turbines have a patented feature by which they can take advantage of the reversal of flow every 6 hours and generate on both flow and ebb of the tide. The tips of the blades are well below the surface so will not be a danger to shipping or be vulnerable to storms.Because the blades are relatively slow moving (15 rpm)and there are only two, it is considered unlikely that there will be adverse environmental impacts on fish or other aquatic life, and a monitoring project has been set up in the Strangford Lough project to confirm this.
Two approaches are being followed, one for relatively shallow waters, up to 30 metres (98.4 ft), and the other for deeper waters. In shallow waters, the turbines are suspended on a tower which extends above the surface of the water and enables the turbines to be lifted clear of the water for maintenance purposes. But since the number of sites around the world where this is possible is finite, they are also developing fully submersed systems which will take advantage of larger scale, but will also be able to be brought to the surface for maintenance.
SeaFlow
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
coast near Lynmouth
Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor.The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway....
in May 2003. It was the largest tidal turbine operating until SeaGen started.
SeaGen
SeaGenSeaGen
SeaGen is the world's first large scale commercial tidal stream generator. It is four times more powerful than any other tidal stream generator in the world....
was the first full-scale tidal flow power station to be connected to the grid to produce electricity for consumption. It was due to be installed in 2007 but delays with the installation barge meant that it was not installed until March 2008 after being modified extensively to permit the use of a crane barge rather than a jackup as originally planned.
It produced electricity on 14 July 2008.
However, subsequently a computer problem caused damage to one of the rotors and procuring a replacement took until towards the end of October 2008. However SeaGen was able to operate using just its good rotor through the summer of 2008 and that rotor was operated at full rated power of 600kW for many hours. After replacement of the damaged rotor SeaGen delivered its full rated power of 1.2MW for the first time on 18 December 2008 - believed to be the first time a "wet renewable energy system" has delivered in excess of 1MW.
Skerries Tidal Stream Array
In a proposed joint project with RWE Npower RenewablesNpower (UK)
RWE Npower plc is a UK-based electricity and gas supply generation company, formerly known as Innogy plc. As Innogy plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
, 7 of the SeaGen generators, producing about 10MW at peak, would be installed off the Skerries, a patch of very fast moving water off Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
in northwest Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. An environmental consent application was submitted to the Welsh Government in March 2011, though financing still needs to be finalised.
Canada
An agreement has been made with CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's Maritime Tidal Energy Corporation in 2007 to develop tidal resources in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
. With a tidal range exceeding 15 metres (49.2 ft), and flows of up to 14 kilometre per hour, this area has long been favoured as the most promising source of tidal power and the newer tidal flow concepts mean that the associated shipping and environmental problems of barrage schemes are no longer prohibitive. MTEC concluded that MCT had the most proven technology of the companies evaluated..
On the west coast, they have also agreed to install at least three 1.2 MW turbines in the Campbell River
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
as a first step in developing tidal farms in that river and other tidal waters.