New innovations | j


Above: EMEC has been awarded a site-wide section 36 consent at its grid-connected Billia Croo wave test site Image by Colin Keldie


The team aims to generate 120,000 hours of performance data that will be assessed by EMEC and project partner TECNALIA, a research and technological development centre. Innovations from MAXBlade will be integrated with findings from its sister project, FORWARD2030, to enable large-scale production of Orbital’s O2 turbine technology. This will pave the way to the tidal energy sector making significant contributions towards Europe’s energy systems, energy security and industrial development by 2030 and beyond to 2050, the team says. Andrew Scott, Chief Executive Officer at Orbital Marine Power, said: “Orbital is delighted to be involved with so many great partners on this truly cutting-edge project. MAXBlade will help deliver tidal energy into a future, low-carbon energy mix at lower costs while, at the same time, position UK & European businesses to benefit from long-term industrial opportunities that will come from this new, sustainable industry.” Professor Conchúr Ó Brádaigh, Head of School and Chair of Materials Engineering at Edinburgh University, added: “The University of Edinburgh is delighted to be a partner in the MAXBlade project, where we will demonstrate the unique rapid testing capability of the FastBlade facility. This will help the tidal energy industry to de-risk their ongoing turbine developments and provide low-cost, reliable renewable energy to the grid. We will als8o lead the development of thermoplastic resins in MAXBlade and the circular economy roadmap needed for future tidal blade manufacturing and recycling.” MAXBlade is led by TechnipFMC and includes Orbital Marine Power, Marasoft, TECNALIA, University of Edinburgh, EMEC, Laborelec and European Composites Industry Association. It is supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service.


Streamlining wave energy consenting Staying in Scotland, it was recently announced that


Below: CorPower’s C4 Wave Energy Converter (WEC) getting ready for deployment at the Aguçadoura site in northern Portugal


the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has been awarded a site-wide section 36 consent at its grid-connected Billia Croo wave test site off the west coast of Orkney, Scotland, further streamlining the consenting process for it’s clients, reducing the time and cost associated with offshore demonstration Subjected to the powerful forces of the North Atlantic Ocean, Billia Croo has some of the highest wave energy potentials in Europe with an average significant wave height of 2-3m. The site consists of five cabled test berths in up to 70m water depth. A near shore berth is situated closer to shore for shallow water projects. Marine Scotland has awarded EMEC with section 36 consent for the site, and the site has also been


expanded by an area of 2.6km2 to the north-west


enabling access to deeper water. Maximum installed generating capacity has been increased to 20MW and a wider ‘envelope’ of device types and operations has been approved. Technologies over 1MW can now demonstrate at the Billia Croo test site without having to apply for individual section 36 consents. To support the section 36 application, seascape,


landscape and visual impact assessments were conducted alongside an environmental appraisal. These assessments focused on an agreed ‘envelope’ of device types and activities that could be deployed within the test site boundaries and considered the potential impacts that may occur during the installation, operation and decommissioning phases of device and infrastructure testing. The site-wide consent lasts until 2040, future-


proofing the consenting process for clients accessing EMEC’s facilities. “Thanks to our subcontractors – Land Use Consultants, Xodus Group, Atlantic Ecology and Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology – for completing the required environmental assessments and appraisals that supported our application,” said Amy Sutcliffe, Environment and Consents Officer. “Section 36 consent is required under the Electricity Act 1989 for any developers with a generating capacity of greater than 1 MW. By EMEC achieving a site-wide licence, we’re making it easier for our clients to get consents in place and further reducing the time and cost of testing in the sea.”


Progress at MeyGen Tidal energy developer SAE has announced it is


continuing to make good progress in the delivery of the first commercial-scale tidal array in the world at its MeyGen site in Scotland. The next phase at the MeyGen site will see SAE deliver an additional 28 MW of predictable, renewable power. To take overall responsibility for the delivery of phase 2, SAE appointed Mr Mark Evans as Project Development Director. Mark brings over 20 years of renewable energy development and delivery experience, including the development of over 1GW of wind projects. Mark brings to the team a proven track record of successfully delivering major renewable projects as well as a passion for tidal energy. SAE also announced that it has appointed Lumin Capital, an international corporate finance advisory firm, as financial advisor for MeyGen phase 2 to advise on securing the necessary financing for the project. Lumin Capital brings extensive experience of working with project developers on projects around the world to enhance shareholder value and secure funding. Lumin will be a key part of the team in ensuring the success of MeyGen phase 2. SAE has abeen active at the MeyGen site, completing resource surveys which provide vital data to better understand the tidal resource across the site to allow for the detailed design of the project. In October 2022, SAE successfully deployed an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), a tidal flow measurement device, at the MeyGen site. The ADCP will be deployed for a month to record a full lunar cycle’s worth of data. SAE has combined the fixed deployed ADCP with vessel-mounted ADCP surveys to better understand the variable flows across the site.


20 | February 2023 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


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