Commercial Tidal Energy System Nearing Completion In Northern Ireland



The world’s first commercial energy-producing tidal system has just passed an important milestone in its construction. The 1.2MW SeaGen Tidal System is being placed at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough — a site chosen for its combination of fast tidal current and ability to provide shelter from bad weather. The company behind the project, Marine Current Turbines, recently positioned the 1000 tonne structure onto the seabed about 400m from the shoreline. From the article,

It is expected that the breakthrough power plant will be operational around mid-year with its massive 16m diameter twin rotors harnessing the tides to produce the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power 1000 homes. “Tidal energy has the great advantage of being predictable and no other system can harness the power of the tidal currents in the way this one can. We take great pride and see enormous potential in the technology and hope it will eventually make a significant contribution to the future energy needs of the British Isles, Ireland and beyond,” said Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines.

Indeed, there are other potential sites around the world that could use the tides to harness a great amount of energy. The Bay of Fundy in Canada — which has some of the highest tides in the world — could especially benefit from this technology.

http://www.marineturbines.com/