FloTEC
Timescale: 2016 – 2021
Funders and partners
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 691916.
Project partners are Orbital Marine Power, ABB UK, DP Energy, EDF, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), SKF, Technology from Ideas, Eirecomposites, National University of Ireland Galway and University College Cork.
Overview
The Floating Tidal Energy Commercialisation (FloTEC) project, led by Orbital Marine Power, aimed to demonstrate how floating tidal systems can provide low-cost, high-value energy to the European grid mix.
The project built on Orbital’s existing floating tidal technology (the SR2000) to develop and demonstrate the world’s most powerful tidal stream turbine – the O2. The aim was to demonstrate an advanced, full-scale device in real conditions with high levels of reliability and survivability, while developing a greater understanding of factors such as installation, operation and decommissioning costs.
The Orbital O2 2 MW tidal energy turbine was deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney in 2021.
The O2 features a number of innovations, including up to 50 percent greater energy capture through enlarged rotors with a lower rated speed, full onsite access to all turbine systems through an optimised platform configuration, high performance blades and compatibility with local supply chain and infrastructure.
EMEC’s role
EMEC carried out resource and environmental assessments, as well as leading the communications and dissemination work package.
Going forward, EMEC will undertake an independent performance assessment which will provide evidence of the enhancements that have been made to the O2, de-risking the technology and improving investor confidence and supporting the technology towards commercialisation.
Lessons learnt
EMEC hosted a webinar in September 2021 to provide insight into the progress and lessons learnt during the FloTEC project.
Thank you to everyone who posted questions during the webinar. A response to all questions is available to download below.
Next steps
The FloTEC project closed in September 2021, however the O2 demonstrations at EMEC continue. EMEC will undertake an independent performance assessment of the O2. Orbital has signed up to a second berth at EMEC’s Fall of Warness test site to deliver its first floating tidal turbine farm, and Orbital and EMEC have embarked on a new project called FORWARD-2030 to progress towards the installation of the next iteration of the Orbital turbine, integrated with a hydrogen production facility and battery storage at EMEC in Orkney.
Find out more about Orbital Marine’s technology development and testing at EMEC, here: Orbital Marine Power
