North set for tidal power trial
Research into the next generation of “green” electricity generation is to be carried out in the North, it was announced today.
The British government has cleared Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines (MCT), one of the world’s leading developers of tidal-stream energy, to test out an experimental tidal turbine system in the mouth of fast-flowing Strangford Lough in Co Down.
The 1,000-kilowatt SeaGen tidal-energy turbine has the capacity to generate clean and sustainable electricity for some 800 homes.
The project, which has been given a £4.27m (€6.3m) grant from the British Department of Trade and Industry’s technology programme, will be installed in the Strangford Narrows and connected to the national grid during the autumn of 2006.
Martin Wright, managing director of MCT, said: “This is a tremendous step forward for tidal-energy technology.
“Given the support of the DTI and Northern Ireland ministers for the SeaGen project, we now have a unique opportunity to comprehensively assess the environmental impact of our technology, as well as showcase the commercial potential of tidal stream energy.”
He said the company was confident SeaGen would prove to be low impact and sustainable, and would also show tidal energy could become a commercial reality sooner than expected.
Mr Wright said: “The great advantage with tidal power is its predictability, certainty of ‘fuel’ supply and zero carbon emissions.”
Northern Ireland Energy Minister Angela Smith said the initiative provided a unique opportunity to investigate the potential to generate significant amounts of clean, renewable electricity.
She said it was “hugely important to Northern Ireland, and indeed, could be a world exemplar in such technology”.
Ms Smith added: “Tidal-turbine technology is one of the key renewable technologies that will help the UK achieve the carbon dioxide emission reduction targets and is a clean, sustainable replacement for ever more expensive fossil fuels.”
The turbine installation is the second phase of a research project and follows the development of a prototype experimental system at Lynmouth in Devon.
SeaGen was developed by MCT’s engineering team from the smaller 300kw SeaFlow - also supported by the DTI – which has been running at Lynmouth for the past two and a half years.
It is the brainchild of technical director Professor Peter Fraenkel, who said: “We have shown that it is possible to generate power in a hostile marine environment and to have a negligible effect on marine life.
“Strangford Lough will demonstrate whether SeaGen has the commercial potential whilst safeguarding the marine environment.”
