It will be Wales‘ first commercial-scale turbine.
The three Siemens gear units were recently successfully tested in Germany prior to coming to the UK ready for the sea trials.
“We’re delighted to be supplying Tidal Energy Limited with our gear units," said Des Walsh of Siemens. "The UK is leading the world in tidal technology and we’re very much involved in supporting and partnering companies like TEL to help drive forward the Government’s renewable energy targets.“
The DeltaStream device initially comprises one independent 400 kW turbine on a triangular base. It sits on the sea bed under its own weight, without requiring drilling or piling, and generates power during both the ebb and flow of the tide, as the units turn with the tidal flow.
Electrical and control equipment is mounted on the baseframe with a power conversion centre and SCADA system situated onshore.
During its forthcoming trial in Ramsey Sound electricity generated will be fed into the local distribution network, helping to contribute towards the Welsh Government’s renewable energy targets.
Following deployment, TEL will scale up the turbine with a further two 400 kW nacelles to its full 1.2 MW power capacity later in 2014 or early in 2015.
“Having proven Siemens technology in our DeltaStream devices gives us further reassurance of reliability and consistent performance," said Peter Bromley, Tidal Energy Ltd.'s engineering manager. " We’re all looking forward to the Ramsey Sound trial and are sure it will lead to further installations in due course.“
Photo caption: How the Tidal Energy unit will look in operation (photo courtesy Tidal Energy Ltd.
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