Weekly Intelligence Brief
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 4 August – 18 August
18 August 2010
Atlantis unveils world's largest tidal turbine
Companies, organizations and projects mentioned in this round-up include: Atlantis Resources Corporation, European Marine Energy Centre (“EMEC”), Scottish Power Renewables, Hammerfest Strøm, Burntisland Fabrication Limited (BiFab), Ness of Duncansbay project, Saltire Prize, Iberdrola Renovables, Statoil, Marine Renewables Industry Association, Wavebob, Ocean Energy, Open Hydro, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI, University College Cork, Maritime and Energy Research Campus (Merc 3), Neptune Renewable Energy (NREL), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium, Eco2, and Tidal Energy
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 4 August – 18 August
Atlantis unveils largest tidal power turbine
Atlantis Resources Corporation (“Atlantis”), a developer of electricity-generating tidal current turbines, unveiled the largest and most powerful tidal power turbine ever built, the AK1000™, at Invergordon, Scotland last week.
The AK1000™ is due for installation at a dedicated berth at the European Marine Energy Centre (“EMEC”), located in Orkney, Scotland later this year.
Dignitaries, utilities and technology partners from around the world attended the unveiling of the flagship turbine at the Isleburn Engineering facility, taking the only opportunity to view the turbine before it is installed on the seabed and connected to the grid at EMEC.
Despatching 1MW of predictable power at a water velocity of 2.65m/s, the turbine is capable of generating enough electricity for over 1,000 homes.
It is designed for harsh weather and rough, open ocean environments, such as those found off the Scottish coast.
The turbine incorporates cutting edge technology from suppliers across the globe, has an 18 meter rotor diameter, weighs 130 tonnes and stands at a height of 22.5 meters. The giant turbine is expected to be environmentally benign due to a low rotation speed whilst in operation and will deliver predictable, sustainable power to the local Orkney grid.
CEO of Atlantis, Timothy Cornelius, said: “The unveiling and installation of the AK1000™ is an important milestone, not only for Atlantis, but for the marine power industry in the United Kingdom.
It represents the culmination of 10 years of hard work, dedication and belief from all our partners, staff, directors and shareholders. The AK1000™ is capable of unlocking the economic potential of the marine energy industry in Scotland and will greatly boost Scotland’s renewable generation capacity in the years to come.”
On the day of the unveiling Cornelius said: “Today is not just about our technology, it is about the emergence of tidal power as a viable asset class that will require the development of local supply chains employing local people to deliver sustainable energy to the local grid.”
Many of the nacelle’s components have been sourced from British companies and its development programme has injected over £5m into the UK renewable energy sector.
“We are at the start of a new industrial boom, akin to the development of the North Sea oil & gas fields,” said Cornelius.
“If we receive the same support from all levels of government that the oil & gas industry received to make the North Sea the success that it is, then the future is very bright for marine power and even brighter for Scotland,” he said.
Scottish Power and Scottish First Minister announce contracts in Oslo
This week ScottishPower Renewables’ Managing Director Keith Anderson joined First Minister Alex Salmond in Oslo as the Norwegian tidal-power developer Hammerfest Strøm announced major contracts worth £4m to construct the first of their advanced HS1000 tidal turbines in Scotland.
Fife-based Burntisland Fabrication Limited (BiFab) has been awarded the largest single contract for the fabrication of the sub-structure for the turbine, which will be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney next year. ScottishPower Renewables (SPR), a major shareholder in Hammerfest Strøm for the past 5 years, has already submitted a planning application to install ten HS1000 machines at a tidal-power array in the Sound of Islay on the west coast of Scotland.
SPR is also developing a 95 turbine project at Ness of Duncansbay in the Pentland Firth as part of The Crown Estate’s first marine energy leasing round.
The company also confirmed that it will be entering the Ness of Duncansbay project into the Scottish Government’s £10m Saltire Prize for marine energy innovation.
Keith Anderson said: "ScottishPower Renewables is committed to leading the development of new renewable energy technologies in the UK, and we already have major projects planned utilising wave and tidal power.
“Following the deployment of the initial HS1000 machine in Orkney, SPR is planning to install ten of the machines in the Sound of Islay, which will be the first tidal power array of its kind in the world. Following on from this, we are also planning to install up to 95 tidal turbines in the Pentland Firth.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, said: "I am delighted that Scottish businesses will benefit from the next stage of the development of one of the world’s most advanced tidal turbines.
"We have an estimated 25 percent of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal resource and 10 percent of its wave potential, a renewable energy resource which is unrivalled in Europe.
"Awarding £4m of contracts to Scotland is a massive vote of confidence in the talent, expertise and infrastructure we have to support the development of a clean, green renewables future.
"ScottishPower Renewables continues to lead the way in the development of offshore energy generation. The company’s entry to the £10 million Saltire Prize demonstrates that one of the largest innovation prizes of its kind continues to generate global interest in the marine energy potential around our coast."
Fraser McCreadie, Managing Director of Hammerfest Strøm UK, said "We sought bids on an international basis for the substructure fabrication works and are delighted that Burntisland Fabrication Ltd submitted the best value for money offer.”
John Robertson, Bifab’s Managing Director commented: " This is a very exciting product with great potential and we are pleased that the next phase of development will be manufactured in Scotland at the BiFab Arnish facility Stornoway."
UK Government urged to base new £2bn green investment bank in Scotland
The future home for a new investment bank specialising in green energy investments with £2bn in assets is still undecided.
Scottish ministers are urging the UK government to base the bank in Scotland where many wave and tidal energy projects are underway.
According to Scottish news reports Nationalist Rob Gibson said the institution, which would channel public and private-sector investment into energy infrastructure, should be located close to windfarms, both on and offshore, and places where wave and tidal energy devices will be sited.
The Highlands and Islands MSP has raised the issue with UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Huhne and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore.
A spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said the SNP government was strongly in favour of the bank being based in Scotland.
In a Green Energy UK report Mr Gibson said: “There is cross-party commitment to a UK-wide green investment bank that will help to direct investment to the industries, improvements and key areas that can and will build a new green economy.
“It must be close to the people and industries it is working with to understand the needs of the industry and the benefits that can come from key investment in the right places.
“Scotland has the energy industry, the financial sector and the green potential to make this the perfect location.”
Four marine energy zones proposed in Ireland
The Irish ocean energy industry has called on the Government to earmark four initial “development zones” for marine renewable developments in Ireland over the next decade, according to a report in the Irish Times.
Four coastal areas – east of Wicklow, off west Clare, off north-west Mayo and off Kerry’s Dingle peninsula – have been proposed by the Marine Renewables Industry Association in a White Paper.
The initial development zones identified by the industry association involve a tidal zone from Wicklow to Brittas Bay and three wave energy zones: from Loop Head to Hags Head in west Clare; from Benwee Head to Achill Head in northwest Mayo; and northwest of the Dingle peninsula, north Kerry.
Each of these zones would extend out to the 12 nautical mile limit, according to the white paper.
Harnessing this area of development could help Ireland to achieve a 500-megawatt target for wave and tidal capacity by 2020, the white paper says.
But in order for projects to materialize a “major co-ordinated effort” across all Government departments and agencies will need to be enacted.
The association would represent tidal and wave energy interests.
The paper notes that Irish companies like Wavebob, Ocean Energy and Open Hydro are among the leading developers in the world of wave and tidal energy conversion technologies.
The news report said that the white paper “also notes that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is developing a new national wave energy test site off Belmullet, northwest Mayo, and a quarter-scale wave energy test site has been in place in Galway Bay off Spiddal.
“It also notes the plans to relocate and expand the University College Cork hydraulics and maritime research centre as part of the new Maritime and Energy Research Campus (Merc 3) at Ringaskiddy in Cork.”
However, the document predicts that it will cost at least €1.5 billion alone to produce devices capable of meeting the 2020 target, with significant additional investment in supporting infrastructure.
This could in turn create several thousand new jobs to support an emerging industry, it says.
The group says that it should be backed up by policy guidelines at national, regional and local level, to facilitate early development of technology, test sites and full scale ocean energy projects.
According to the news report it also recommends a “one-stop shop” for a “fair and modern” consenting system.
NREL launches its first prototype
Neptune Renewable Energy (NREL), based in North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, has launched its first prototype of a tidal technology which could provide more than a quarter of the energy used in Hull.
NREL has designed the Proteus NP100, which consists of a six-metre by six-metre turbine inside a floating chamber, which works equally well in ebb and flow currents.
Nigel Petrie, the company’s Chairman, said in a statement : "We are extremely pleased that the Proteus Demonstrator is now very much a reality.
“Its deployment is the culmination of five years of intensive efforts by Neptune and our partners and is a real first for the region, as we will be the only company to have a full-scale tidal stream power plant up and running in the Humber.
“Although we had hoped, initially, to have commissioned the Proteus at the start of the year, the additional time spent on preparing the unit should pay dividends when it comes to the three months of trials which lie ahead.
"At Neptune we view tidal streams as a largely untapped resource where there is a tremendous opportunity for future growth using the latest technology like the Proteus," he said..
He noted that a major advantage of tidal stream power is the delivery of a predictable source of renewable energy compared to more variable, less consistent, options such as wind - something which is a key consideration when it comes to building-up generating capacity.
"The key advantages which we believe set the vertical-axis Proteus apart from alternative solutions includes the fact that, at this stage, we are not aware of any similar device which is designed to capture the shallow water resource in estuarine sites at significantly lower capital and O&M (Operation and Maintenance costs),” he said.
He believes that the cross sectional shape that has been adopted for our patented design is partly what makes the turbine different.
“The Proteus' square turbine cross-section generates 30% more electricity per unit channel width compared to circular turbines,” he explained.
“Additionally, the flow control shutters found in the Proteus increase the impacted length of the flow on the turbine providing greater shaft torque and power outputs."
Andrew Laver, managing director of timber company Arnold Laver, set up renewables business with his former university tutor, Professor Jack Hardisty.
The Proteus NP1000 demonstrator, which is 20 metres long and weighs more than 150 tonnes and it is expected to generate at least 1,000 MWh per year.
In a news report Mr Laver said the device would provide more reliable and cheaper energy than wind turbines.
“It is not as cheap as oil or gas, but will produce electricity cheaper than onshore wind at less than £1 million per MW,” he said in the news report.
US states of Maine and Nova Scotia collaborate on tidal and wind initiatives
The expansive coastlines of Maine and Nova Scotia will share information by bringing together tidal energy academics, researchers, policy makers and private sector developers from both jurisdictions, said an energyboom.com report.
The agreement was established with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Maine Governor John E. Baldacci and Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter.
Among other topics, the MOU details how Maine and Nova Scotia will host a Tidal Energy Symposium in Nova Scotia in conjunction with the 35th Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.
“Maine is forging a path toward clean, renewable, home-grown energy development which will keep hard-earned dollars here at home and provide good paying jobs, all while preserving our valuable natural resources,” said Governor Baldacci.
“Premier Dexter shares my commitment to work regionally to address these critical issues and I’m pleased that we are forging this partnership to explore the opportunities before us.”
“Nova Scotia has always enjoyed a strong economic, social and cultural partnership with Maine, and this MOU is another example of how our governments will work to grow the economy, create jobs and protect the environment,” said Premier Dexter.
According to the report Maine is one of ten states that signed a June MOU with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to establish the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium.
“The Consortium promotes the development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf along the East Coast, coordinating state and federal efforts, relating to permitting, environmental studies, technical and financial barriers, and infrastructure needed to deploy and maintain offshore wind power plants,” said the report.
Tidal Energy raising £10m in second round
Old Trafford-based Eco2’s owner Peter Darwell, who also owns Tidal Energy, said in a Manchester Evening News report that the tidal developer is “putting together second round investment of around £10m.”
Darwell believes the best opportunities now lie in biomass and tidal power schemes.
Tidal Energy announced at the end of July that it had won funding from the Welsh European Funding Office and expects to install prototype generating equipment off the Welsh coast within weeks.
Darwell and his non-executive director Ron Kirk will be funding a chunk of the business.
If the turbine tests are positibe and it works “anyone with a tidal coast would be a potential customer, which could be governments or energy customers,” Darnell said in the news report.
