The ReDAPT program, which is commissioned and co-funded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), is aimed at demonstrating the performance of the tidal machine.
Under the program, the 1MW tidal turbine featuring three pitchable blades with a rotor diameter of 18m, a 22m long nacelle and a weight of 150 tonnes, is being tested in different operational conditions off Orkney over an 18 month period through 2014.
Having demonstrated the machine’s ability to efficiently operate independently, the milestone was followed by the earlier connection of the turbine to the grid and bolstering up to full nominal power of 1MW over the past months.
The Alstom tidal technology’s characteristics allow minimizing installation and maintenance costs such as the buoyancy of the turbine enables the nacelle to be easily towed to and from the point of operation and attached to its pre-installed foundation, reducing the time and costs.
