Building tidal testing centres and plants to speed up crossborder knowledge
1. The Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) in the Isle of Wight (UK)
The Isle of Wight Council is seeking to exploit the powerful tidal resources around the Island, for the generation of renewable energy. The Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) is a managed test / demonstration facility for tidal energy devices. It is suitable for the deployment of up to full scale single units and small arrays from prototype to pre-commercial demonstrators.The offshore facility will be a 20MW demonstration site of approximately 5 km2 located approximately 2.5 km to the south of St. Catherine’s Point.
Read all about it here.
2. A tidal energy plant in the Port of Dover (UK)
The Port of Dover within the Pro-tide project is investigating the feasibility of a tidal energy power station. The port is the world’s busiest international ferry ports with a high number of vessel movements and vital navigational areas. Consequently the location of any pilot device was restricted to certain areas which do not interfere with the Port’s commercial operations. A tidal investigation zone area of approximately 0.45 km2 (45 hectares) outside the Southern Breakwater has been identified. The depths are relatively shallow ranging from 12 m at the near shore to 17 m at the seaward end at Chart Datum. The flow speed is estimated to be between 2-2.5 meters per second. The pilot will test up to three different devices in the investigation zone to assess their performance, environmental implications and compatibility with the site.
Read all about it here.
3. A Tidal Testing Center in Grevelingen (NL)
The Tidal Testing Centre Grevelingendam (TTC-GD) will be situated at the Flakkeese Spuisluis at the Grevelingendam. The Flakkeese sluice gate consists of six tubes and connects the Grevelingmeer (a lake) with the Oosterschelde (an estuary connected to the North Sea). The water can flow in either direction, depending on the tides. There is public and commercial interest to adapt the sluice gate to provide a unique facility for research and development of technical systems for
energy production from free stream and/or low head water streams. Within Pro-Tide, preparation work will be made. Also a cost estimation of a field test with a promising low head technique will be made.
Read all about it here.
