Marine Current Turbines

Marine Current Turbines

Marine Current Turbines is the world s leading developer, manufacturer and operator of large-scale, undersea tidal current turbines. Its first full-sized device, SeaFlow, was installed successfully 1km off the north Devon coast in 2003 and served as a test-bed for many of the features now incorporated into the commercial SeaGen systems. SeaFlow was the world s first and only tidal turbine to operate and survive many years in exposed offshore conditions. The 300kW (at 2.5m/s) SeaFlow device ran for six years and confirmed that MCT s pitched rotor design was robust enough to generate power efficiently and reliably in all seas.

The twin rotor 1.2MW (at 2.4 m/s) SeaGen was installed in May 2008 and is still the world s only full-scale commercial tidal current turbine capable of consistently generating over 1MW in everyday conditions. Located in Strangford Lough near Belfast where the tide runs at up to 9 knots, it generates an average of 10MWh of energy per tide, equivalent to more than 6,000MWh per annum. With a load factor of 66% at Strangford Lough, SeaGen delivers twice as much energy as an equivalent-rated offshore wind turbine.

Unlike wind and wave, tidal is the only renewable energy resource where power can be accurately predicted. This is because tidal currents are driven by the consistently varying gravitational fields of the moon and the sun whereas wind, wave and solar energy depend on the random effects of weather. 900 (Gridspacing 405m) 800 700 (Gridspacing 405 m) 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Speed (m/s) Above 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.6 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.2 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.2 Below 0.0 Land It has been estimated by the International Energy Agency that the global market for tidal current turbines exceeds 100GW, a market worth over 300 billion.

There are a number of unique, patented features within SeaGen which enhance its power-generating capabilities, including automatic 180 degree pitch controlled rotor blades to maximise energy capture on both the ebb and the flood tides. This makes SeaGen not only more powerful but more efficient, more controllable and more productive than any other type of tidal current turbine. The hydrofoils used for SeaGen s rotors were chosen for their high lift / drag ratio to maximise efficiency. SeaGen rotor efficiency averages 48% at rated power, validated by DNV. direction of current direction of rotation direction of current

Marine Current Turbines offers an end-to-end turnkey solution for business partners and energy project developers. Its core areas of expertise include: Global project location and optimisation Project planning / financials System specification, procurement and testing Delivery Grid integration / system balancing Operational maintenance and upgrades Decommissioning Marine Current Turbines Ltd. The Court, The Green, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8PD T: +44 (0)117 979 1888 E: info@marineturbines.com Designed www.marineturbines.com by www.thebigwindow.co.uk SeaGen U

The world s first tidal array Having secured a lease from The Crown Estate, four twin rotor SeaGens, each rated at 2MW, are on track to be deployed at one of the world s first tidal energy farms in Kyle Rhea, a strait of water between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland. Generating from 2014, this 8MW tidal array will deliver enough renewable electricity to power 8,000 homes in the Highlands & Islands. Marine Current Turbines also has a strong project pipeline amounting to a potential 440MW capacity. In addition to Kyle Rhea, other early developments include a 10MW first phase project off Anglesey, Wales and the first SeaGen U project in the Minas Straits, Canada, together with a 100MW project off Brough Ness, Orkney in the Pentland Firth. SeaGen S

At the forefront of innovation The highly skilled team of engineers at Marine Current Turbines not only has unrivalled hands-on experience of installing, operating and maintaining tidal current turbines at sea, but is also committed to a programme of continuous product development for its tidal turbine systems. Some of the inherent advantages of SeaGen include: Rotors positioned near the surface where most of the energy can be harnessed. (Surface water moves fastest so 75% of the energy is in the top half of the water column) The twin turbines can be independently operated, so a fault does not mean a full shut down Rotors and power units can be raised out of the water for access via its own platform, thus ensuring rapid, safe and low cost maintenance Major works such as power unit exchange only require a small and inexpensive service vessel Sophisticated onboard power-conditioning enables SeaGen to deliver fully grid-compliant power SeaGen at Strangford is accredited by the UK regulator OFGEM as an official UK power station the only tidal marine renewable to qualify so far

Future developments Thanks to the inherent advantages of tidal power, SeaGen tidal current turbines deliver predictable power into the grid, year in year out. SeaGen devices are therefore ideally suited for balanced integration with other generation technologies. SeaGen turbines will be deployed like wind turbines, in arrays, typically divided into 25MW or 30MW modules. Several such projects are already being designed and developed. SeaGen S and SeaGen U use the same tried and tested turbine rotors and power trains, but are mounted on different structures. They can be supplied with rotors ranging in size from 16m to 20m diameter, delivering 1.2MW to 3MW per system at tidal currents in excess of 2.4 metres per second. SeaGen S SeaGen U Rotor diameters 16 20m 16 20m Number of turbine rotors 2 3 Water depth 24 40m 22 50m Rated power 1.2 2.0 MW 1.8 3.0 MW @2.4m/s @2.4m/s Energy capture at 40% 4,200 7,000 6,300 10,000 capacity factor MWh/yr MWh/yr

Strategic advantages of SeaGen Cost-effective generation depends on: Scale (larger power units have smaller fixed overheads per MW) Efficiency (pitch control with high lift / drag ratio hydrofoils) Quality (thoroughly marinised, with fully grid-compliant output) Reliability (extensively tested and refined) Serviceability (low cost easy access, rapid maintenance). SeaGen leads on scale, efficiency, quality and also: is the world s most advanced tidal current turbine technology is the most powerful, most tested tidal turbine device has patented features giving significant technical advantages has performance validated by DNV: on a par with the world s leading wind turbines is ready to go! Designed by www.thebigwindow.co.uk