UK tidal energy developer Sustainable Marine Energy (SME) has arranged a £4.5 million funding package to commence the deployment of an array of its PLAT-O tidal energy systems at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
SME has already conducted testing of its first PLAT-O prototype in the Solent, off the Isle of Wight, during 2014 & 2015.
The firm's operational base has now been moved to Orkney, Scotland, and the firm will be grid connecting its first system at EMEC over the coming months.
This deployment will then be followed by a larger, 240kW, platform with Schottel Hydro Instream Turbines (SIT 250), the production of which will commence this summer, also in Scotland.
SME’s existing investors have been joined by the German Tidal Turbine Manufacturer Schottel Hdro with Scottish Enterprise increasing its investment to provide the funding required to take the development of PLAT-O through the next phase, to prove the commercial viability for community scale arrays.
“We are really excited to be moving forward with our array at EMEC” says Jason Hayman, Managing Director of SME. “It is fantastic that SCHOTTEL HYDRO is supporting us at this stage, and also that they have the
confidence in the capability and potential of Scottish supply chain to deliver on this project. This is a long-term commitment for SME and Schottel Hydro and we are rapidly expanding our operations
in Orkney, whilst benefitting from the experience of local contractors to drive down the costs of marine operations.”
In addition to the development of PLAT-O, SME is also pioneering the development of drilled rock anchors suitable for tidal sites, the installation of which has been proven at EMEC in the last quarter.
The SME rock anchor system is the first of its kind in the world to be deployed at an energetic tidal site, and will be of benefit to the entire marine energy sector, and wider industry as a whole.
Niels A. Lange, Managing Director of Schottel Hydro commented: “We at Schottel Hydro are convinced that commercial tidal energy installations will be based upon cost-effective floating platform solutions like PLAT-O, carrying multiple tidal turbines. We are pleased to support SME on their way to demonstrate the benefits of PLAT-O plus our SIT 250 technology. This project with complementary technologies indicates the perspectives of productive interaction within the entire industry."