SR250

The SR250, a scale floating tidal turbine, was tested at EMEC’s grid-connected tidal test site at the Fall of Warness from 2011 to 2013. The 250 kW device, measuring 33 m long, was constructed at Harland & Wolff in Belfast in 2010 and weighed 100 tonnes.

Initial tests involved short-term deployments of the device on its moorings followed by disconnection and towing back to harbour for inspection. The testing programme was undertaken in incremental stages, culminating in a three-month period of continuous grid-connected operation at the end of 2012. In exporting power to the UK grid, the SR250 became the world’s first floating tidal energy device to generate power into a grid.

SR2000

Building on the success of SR250, Orbital developed the SR2000, a larger 63 m, 500 tonne, 2 MW ‘commercial scale’ turbine more suited for tidal array deployment.

The SR2000 arrived in Orkney in June 2016 and was first deployed at EMEC’s tidal test site in October 2016. The SR2000 project was supported by Scottish Enterprise’s WATERS II scheme along with investments from Scotrenewables’ shareholders which include ABB, DP Energy, Fred Olsen, Total and Scottish Government via the Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF).  The testing programme at EMEC was also supported via the FORESEA Interreg-NWE funded project.

At a rated capacity of 2 MW the SR2000 was the world’s most powerful tidal turbine. In early commissioning it reached a peak of 2.24 MW export power at the EMEC substation.

During its test programme the SR2000 achieved the following milestones:

• In 12 months of continuous generation into the Orkney grid the prototype turbine exported over 3 GWh of renewable electricity.
• The entire project lifecycle of the SR2000 through construction, installation, operation and decommissioning was completed with small workboats or lighter. No heavy lift or large anchor handling vessels were used.
• At times SR2000 was measured to have been meeting around 25% of total electricity demand of the Orkney Islands.
• During the period of a measured full week of generation the SR2000 provided almost 8% of total electricity demand of the Orkney Islands.
• At times output from the turbine was being used by EMEC to generate ‘green hydrogen’; the first time hydrogen had been generated using tidal power.
• The SR2000 maintained rated power in seas of 2 m significant wave height and maintained generation is seas of 3. 5m significant wave height. The largest wave the turbine withstood was >6 m. Interestingly, the SR2000 saw instantaneous power generations of over 100 kW from wave power alone.
• The quickest maintenance intervention time demonstrated by the Orbital operational team was under 40 minutes from quayside to turbine.

The SR2000 was removed from site in September 2018 to make way for the build and installation of their optimised 2 MW floating tidal turbine, the Orbital O2.

O2

The Orbital O2 2 MW turbine comprises of a 72 m long floating superstructure, supporting two 1 MW turbines on either side. 18 m long legs hold 100 tonne nacelle assemblies at a 14 m depth. The 20 m diameter rotors span 600 sqm, the longest blades ever seen on a tidal generator (and a 50% increase on the SR2000). A key innovation building on the SR2000 technology was the introduction of full wing leg configuration, enabling the rotors to be brought up above the water line for onsite access and maintenance. A modular gravity-based anchoring system recycled ballast from the SR2000. Each of the mooring lines used to anchor the O2 is strong enough to pick up 50 double decker buses.

The O2 was built at Texo in Dundee and 75% of the supply chain for the O2 device is based in the UK.

The device was towed to Orkney in April 2021, and has been operating at EMEC’s Fall of Warness test site since July 2021.

The development of the O2 has been supported through funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the FloTEC project and the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg North West Europe Programme under the ITEG (Integrating Tidal Energy into the European Grid) project. Watch the video below for lessons learnt in developing the world’s most powerful tidal stream turbine.

EURO-TIDES

Orbital, along with sector leading project partners, has been selected by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Programme to deliver a multi-turbine tidal energy project, EURO-TIDES*.

Key workstreams will focus on accelerating the commercial deployment of Orbital’s pioneering floating tidal stream technology.

The project will also bring together expertise from Ocean Energy Europe, Laborelec, Marasoft, European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD) of RWTH Aachen University, Energie De La Lune and the University of Edinburgh.

The EURO-TIDES project will deliver a step change in the wider commercialisation programme for the scale deployment of Orbital’s leading technology. This will be achieved through targeted work to demonstrate manufacturing solutions compatible with series production, optimisation of long-term operation and maintenance programmes while also accumulating accelerated operational performance data around Orbital’s technology.

The project will also work to bring forward commercial scale tidal projects in French waters to augment Orbital’s existing commercial project portfolio in the UK and overseas.

The European Commission has identified that transitioning from single turbine deployments to multi-turbine arrays is the next important milestone for the tidal stream sector as it moves towards contributing towards net zero targets in the UK, EU and beyond with a unique form of clean, predictable energy that generates like clockwork.

• March 2020: Orbital set ambition on installing first floating tidal farm at EMEC
• September 2019: Orbital Marine Power awarded £3.4m from Scottish Government
• August 2019: Orbital O2 to be built by TEXO Group in Dundee
• August 2019: ITEG project progress – Orbital contract FAUN Trackway for anchor fabrication of O2 turbine
• January 2019: Orbital Marine Power raise £7 million through crowdfunding
• December 2018: Orbital Marine Power scoops Best Innovation Award 2018
• December 2018: Orbital Marine Power signs agreement with Menter Môn for Anglesey tidal array project
• November 2018: Orbital Marine Power unveil design for Orbital O2 tidal turbine
• November 2018: Orbital Marine Power win twice at prestigious IET Awards
• November 2018: Orbital Marine Power and SKF awarded funding to deliver performance improvement technology
• October 2018: Orbital Marine Power announces Abundance peer-to-peer investment
• October 2018: Scotrenewables renames as Orbital Marine Power
• October 2018: Scotrenewables receive new investment in preparation for new turbine build
• September 2018: Scotrenewables SR1-2000 to make way for FloTEC SR2-2000
• August 2018: Scotrenewables Tidal clocks record level of power generation
• June 2018: €11 million ITEG project to integrate tidal power, grid and hydrogen
• January 2018: Scotrenewables powers through winter storms
• November 2017: Scotrenewables tidal power hits 1GWH in record time at EMEC, Orkney
• November 2017: Scotrenewables tidal power kicks off new funding round
• September 2017: Scotrenewables powers Orkney grid
• September 2017: World’s first tidal-powered hydrogen generated at EMEC
• May 2017: Scotrenewables clocks-up the power
• March 2017: EMEC tidal site activity ramping up
• February 2017: Orkney – buzzing with marine energy development
• October 2016: Scotrenewables installs world’s largest tidal turbine at EMEC for first time
• September 2016: Energy minister hails SR2000 “game changer” during Orkney visit
• June 2016: SR2000 arrives in Orkney
• May 2016: Scotrenewables Tidal Power launch world’s largest tidal turbine
• February 2016: Horizon2020 grant €10m to Scotrenewables FloTEC project
• February 2016: Scotrenewables deploy advanced anchoring system at EMEC
• December 2015: Scotrenewables secures £5.7m to demonstrate world’s largest tidal turbine at EMEC
• August 2013: Busy week at Fall of Warness
• August 2013: Unprecedented tidal energy activity at Hatston Pier
• December 2012: Congratulations to Scotrenewables on £7.6m foreign investment
• August 2012: WATESR2 funding recipients announced
• July 2011: SR250 generates power for the first time
• March 2011: SR250 arrives in Orkney