Tocardo
Tocardo is a Dutch company focusing on the development of tidal turbines.
In 2015, Tocardo installed three linked turbines in the Afsluitdijk, a 30 km long primary sea defence in The Netherlands, with a total capacity of 300 kW. Another Tocardo turbine in the Afsluitdijk has been providing electricity for over seven years. Together with Bluewater and a group of leading offshore companies, Tocardo has also deployed its first offshore floating tidal energy project at the Island of Texel in The Netherlands.
Further still, together with Huisman, builder and designer of the turbine’s support structure, Tocardo have installed five tidal turbines in the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier (Oosterschelde barrier): the world’s largest tidal installation consisting of five turbines in an array.
In February 2016, Tocardo signed up to demonstrate a 20 year pre-commercial array at EMEC’s Fall of Warness tidal energy test site. Tocardo plans to install eight T2 turbines across two Tocardo systems. The planned array at EMEC is the next step in Tocardo’s path towards commercialising their tidal turbine by proving and validating the technology in the volatile offshore environment in Orkney for an extended time period.
Supported by the FORESEA programme, the first T2 turbine was tested at EMEC during 2017 as part of Tocardo’s Temporary Foundation System (TFS).
Horizon 2020: InToTidal project
The objective of the InToTidal project is to develop and demonstrate the world’s first turn-key floating tidal power plant solution capable of integrating five tidal turbines.
Tocardo is working on an integrated solution, dubbed the Universal Foundation System (UFS). The UFS is a surface-based floating foundation enabling low-cost easy access to the tidal turbines for maintenance purposes, with all installation and service operations undertaken by small readily-available vessels.
The UFS will be the first in the world to use a low wave response semi-submersible design.
The InToTidal project will focus on five key development elements:
- Turbine energy production enhancements validated through full scale monitoring and independent verification;
- Low-load mooring system;
- Low-cost anchoring solutions;
- Subsea dynamic umbilical; and
- Installation and service operations.
Whilst initial testing of this innovative tidal platform will be done using Tocardo’s tidal turbines, the system is being designed to act as a generic solution for tidal energy production.
The system is due to be tested at EMEC in 2018/19. Initial trials of a test foundation system took place throughout 2017 and will feed into the design and development of the bespoke UFS.
Following the InToTidal project, the UFS will be used for long-term demonstration of Tocardo’s T2 tidal turbines at EMEC’s Fall of Warness tidal test site.
Led by Tocardo, the InToTidal project consortium includes EMEC, Leask Marine and Ifremer. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730799.
Related news:
- September 2017: World’s first tidal-powered hydrogen generated at EMEC
- June 2017: Tocardo granted RO accreditation for 1.4 MW at EMEC
- March 2017: EMEC tidal site activity ramping up
- February 2017: Orkney – buzzing with marine energy development
- February 2017: Tocardo getting InToTidal in Orkney
- December 2016: €5.6m MET-CERTIFIED project launched
- June 2016: €3.9m innovation funding for tidal energy in Orkney
- February 2016: Tocardo sign up to test 20-year T2 tidal array at EMEC
