Floating Tidal Energy Platform Up and Running

The first months of operating the BlueTEC tidal energy platform have been a success, according to the BlueTEC Texel Tidal partnership: with every tidal flow, the platform supplies electricity into the Dutch national grid. The success has led project partners to work toward developing plans for the installation of a second, larger turbine.

 

“Getting the platform from the drawing board to a grid-connected operating reality in just six months is amazing,” said Allard van Hoeken, Head of New Energy at Bluewater Energy Services and recent recipient of the first Prince Friso Engineers Award. “The electricity production is conform expectations, the mooring loads are lower than expected and the stability is better than expected. It is a great success.”

 

Shortly after its launch this summer the platform’s new moorings passed its first serious tests as two large storms passed over the area.

 

With the platform up and running smoothly, the project partners are now looking forward to the next step in its development. “We will install the next turbine – a Tocardo T2 – before the winter. This will double the platform’s capacity,” Van Hoeken said. “A few months after that we will install a second T2 turbine. With two turbines working simultaneously this will double the capacity once again to reach the 400-500 kW mark. This means a proven solution is available on the market. In the meantime we will proceed to even larger units of 2.5 MW each.”

 

“These units can supply clean energy to islands and remote locations below the cost of diesel generators,” Van Hoeken said. “In addition, what the industry may only be starting to realize, is that they also pave the way towards large, utility-scale tidal farms. Starting with 500 kW units means using existing technology and a small grid setup, hence keeping the required investment and associated risks to a minimum. In the following step, our 2.5 MW units will be used for full development.”

 

The BlueTEC platform serves as a demonstrator model. The platform’s ease of maintenance illustrates the advantages of a floating system. “It has been very easy to solve any issues we came across,” Van Hoeken said. “We can reach the platform with a small boat, open the watertight door and enter the electronics room, fix and replace something and be back on land an hour later.”

 

Project partners includes Bluewater, Damen Shipyards Group, Niron Staal, Van Oord, Acta Marine, Vryhof Anchors, TKF, Tocardo, Schottel Hydro, NIOZ, Tidal Testing Centre, Nylacast and the Port of Den Helder. Further support came from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Waddenfonds program, in addition to EU Life funding during the developmental phase.

 

“We are a group of great, strong and motivated partners,” Van Hoeken said. “Where everyone does their best to make it succeed – applying their skills to realize a new way of harnessing clean power.”