A floating tidal-turbine assembly has smashed records in Scotland after matching the generating capacity of offshore wind turbines.

The SR2000, designed by Scotrenewables Tidal Power (www.scotrenewables.com), is the world’s largest and most powerful tidal device. The machine, which is currently undergoing grid-connected testing, generated 18MWhr over a 24hr period.

This is said to represent a significant step forward for tidal energy, which could soon become a viable renewable technology.

Scotrenewables Tidal Power, which is based in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland and has spent 12 years developing the device, aims to create a low-cost generator with financial backing from the Scottish government
and a number of private investors.

The machine is composed of a floating hull, with two turbines on the lower half of the body that sit just below the sea surface — the prime position for harnessing the energy of tidal flows. The turbines are also designed to fold upwards into the hull of the machine to reduce transportation costs.

The SR2000 has been designed to perform in areas with fast tidal flows, such as Scotland and Canada, but it can be “calibrated to perform in areas with softer flows”.

The machine is undergoing testing in the Orkney Islands, where the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) operates testing facilities for tidal- and wave-energy installations.

By working alongside the EMEC, Scotrenewables is hopeful that it can establish the SR2000 as the hallmark technology in the tidal-energy industry. “Tidal energy is an under-used resource, and estimates indicate that globally it could generate as much as 160TWhr of power a year.”

In the UK alone, there are more than 30 areas where tidal generators could contribute to the UK’s energy mix; internationally, there are dozens of countries where tidal energy is viable.