Orbital Marine Power has unveiled the key technical specifications of its O2 2MW next-generation tidal machine scheduled to be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre off Orkney in 2020.
The Scottish developer said the superstructure of the floating superstructure would be 73 metres in length, a 14% increase on the 64m-long SR2000 prototype 2MW unit.
The Orbital O2 2MW device will house twin turbines rated at 1MW at a tidal current speed of 2.5 metres per second.
The turbine rotors will have diameters of 20m and it 600 square-metre area, which the Kirkwall company said is the largest ever on a single tidal generating platform.
The device will also feature a 360-degree blade pitching to allow dynamic control of the machine’s 20m rotors and enable power to be captured from both tidal directions without need to yaw the entire platform.
The steel structure of the turbine has been simplified to reduce fabrication costs and futureproof the product for volume manufacturing.
The machine will also feature new ‘gull wing’ style retractable legs that raise the nacelles, pitch hubs and blades to the water surface to allow access without heavy lift vessels.
The new configuration reduces the draught of the unit from 6m to less than 3m to ensure the utility-scale machine can be towed and installed with modest-sized workboats.
“This optimised turbine will unlock tidal markets around the world at a competitive price point and provide regulators and investors with a new, predictable renewable energy option,” said chief executive Andrew Scott.