The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney has initiated an independent power performance assessment for Verdant Power following the deployment of three Gen5 (fifth generation) tidal stream turbines in New York City’s East River in October 2020.

The EMEC team joined Verdant Power virtually to witness the start up of the Triframe Gen5 turbines which began producing power within 1hr of slack tides at the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project site.

This is the first remote witness of a power performance assessment that has been carried out by EMEC according to ISO/IEC 17025 methods and procedures and was made possible by months of preparation over 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic restricting travel.

Verdant Power is expected to hit the full power curve in early 2021 after which EMEC will deliver an internationally recognised test report providing third party verification of operational results.

As a newly designated RETL (Renewable Energy Testing Laboratory) by the IECRE (International Electrotechnical Commission – Renewable Energy System), EMEC will also deliver to Verdant Power the world’s first Renewable Energy Test Report (RETR) for the marine energy sector.

IECRE offers a comprehensive and transparent third-party renewable energy conformity assessment system that ensures that project installations adhere to accepted international standards (IEC TC 114 Technical Specifications).

EMEC technical manager Elaine Buck said: “EMEC and Verdant Power have worked hard to make this a reality. The challenges with Covid-19 and ability to progress with a remote test following our test procedures has been a major accomplishment for both teams and may change the way we approach power performance assessments in the future. We look forward to delivering our independent review of Verdant Power’s performance in 2021.”

Jonathan Colby, Verdant Power director of technology performance, said: “The opportunity for Verdant Power to have an independent, third-party power performance assessment under the IECRE System, in compliance with consensus-based, international standards as developed by IEC TC 114, has been a long-term goal of the company.

“The start of this power performance assessment by EMEC as a designated RETL, and the ultimate issuance of an internationally recognised RETR, represent significant milestones for Verdant Power and the industry at large.”