Imagine underwater windmills that capture the power of the ocean's tides instead of wind. This project is building a massive underwater farm to prove that these turbines can be mass-produced and maintained like a real factory line. By doing this at scale, they are making it cheaper and safer for banks to invest in ocean power.
Tidal energy suffers from high costs, insurance difficulties, and complex permitting processes. Current deployments are too small to prove the efficiency of mass manufacturing and long-term operations.
A 4MW tidal array of 16 turbines and a comprehensive branding, communication, and dissemination toolkit.
If you are an offshore energy farm operator dealing with high financial risks and insurance hurdles — this project developed a 4MW array of 16 turbines that proves performance and enhances insurability. This reduces the risk for future large-scale deployments.
If you are a precision rotating equipment manufacturer dealing with the harsh conditions of saltwater environments — this project developed volume industrial manufacturing techniques for the M100D turbine. This allows for a shift from custom builds to scalable production.
If you are a law firm dealing with complex consenting risks for ocean energy — this project developed transferable knowledge on permitting and environmental monitoring. This streamlines the legal process for deploying large tidal arrays globally.
The project aims to cut costs by applying volume industrial manufacturing and operational techniques to the full lifecycle of the farm. This is intended to improve the bankability of tidal energy.
The project is delivering a 4MW array consisting of 16 tidal stream turbines at the EMEC Fall of Warness site.
Based on available project data, specific IP or licensing terms are not mentioned, though the project utilizes the well-proven M100D turbine developed with SKF.
SEASTAR develops cost-effective monitoring solutions and shares knowledge on consenting risks to remove barriers and accelerate permitting for future farms.
The project period runs from December 1, 2023, to February 28, 2029.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with an 85% industry ratio consisting of 11 companies and 7 SMEs. This composition, featuring a mix of technical leaders like SKF and legal experts like DLA Piper, indicates a strong focus on commercial viability, bankability, and industrialization rather than academic research.
Contact Nova Innovation Limited in Ireland for technical and partnership inquiries.
Contact SciTransfer to identify partners for tidal energy scaling.
