The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney will provide an independent performance assessment of US-based Verdant Power’s 5th Generation (Gen5) tidal-turbine system — to be deployed for commercial demonstration in New York City’s East River in 2020.
The deployment will be conducted as part of Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project; it will comprise three Gen5 turbines mounted on a Verdant Power TriFrame.
Verdant Power (
www.verdantpower.com) secured $6 million in funding for the project in late 2018, including support from the US Department of Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
EMEC will aim to extend its ISO/IEC accreditation as a test laboratory to assess the performance of the three Gen5 turbines, using international technical specifications.
It will also seek to become the first marine energy test laboratory to issue a report through the IECRE standards system.
By independently measuring the performance of Verdant’s system, EMEC will add credibility to its operational results and will set a new standard for tidal-energy technology developers to meet globally.
Elaine Buck, EMEC technical manager, said: “EMEC has been central to the development of standards for marine energy for nearly two decades, and we will bring these skills to bear on the RITE project.
Verdant Power is an innovative company with a strong vision for where it is heading, and we are delighted that they have selected EMEC to be part of that vision.
“This will be the first time EMEC has carried out an off-site performance assessment, and potentially the first marine energy test report issued through IECRE.
This will set a new bar for tidal energy technologies globally. As a stage for EMEC’s first tidal energy performance assessment outside Orkney, you couldn’t ask for somewhere more high-profile than New York City.”
Ron Smith, Verdant Power president, said: “Our efforts at the RITE Project over the last decade have allowed us to advance our technology and the marine energy industry in significant ways. As such, working with EMEC — the world’s premier marine energy test facility — is a natural fit for us.
"The addition of their technical expertise and particularly their independent third-party verification of our system’s performance is key, as we bring the technology to market.”