Nova Innovation has celebrated its 10th birthday with the successful expansion of the world’s first tidal array in the Shetland Isles of Scotland.
The company said it has installed its commercial direct-drive tidal turbine Eunice, which is now powering homes across Shetland.
Eunice is the first of three turbines set to double the size of the Shetland tidal array as part of the EU-backed EnFAIT (Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal) project, it added.
The EnFAIT project, now in its third year, helps drive the commercialisation of the tidal energy sector by improving reliability, reducing costs, and boosting the sector’s ‘bankability’, Nova said.
Nova chief executive Simon Forrest said: “We set up Nova Innovation in 2010 to capture clean energy from the tides to help combat climate change.
“Ten years later, we’ve achieved what many thought impossible. We are generating electricity from the immense power of our seas.
“Our proven technology is displacing fossil fuels and changing the way we power our lives.
“We are very excited about the future. The global potential for this untapped, abundant and valuable source of renewable energy is enormous.
“We are driving down costs and branching into new markets to make tidal energy mainstream. By 2030, tidal energy will be cheaper than nuclear power and fossil fuels, providing cleaner and sustainable energy for coastal communities around the world.”