2. 01- Installation in 60 Minutes
• Phase 1A will include installation and monitoring of four 1.5 MW tidal
stream turbines—three from Andritz Hydro Hammerfest (AHH) and
another from Atlantis Resources designed by Lockheed Martin. Thus
far, the AR1500 was deployed in just 60 minutes, and monitored for
about two months before it automatically shut down during an
unexpected grid fault. It will be retrieved and taken back to the base
for brief inspection. All events in Phase 1A will serve to prepare the
team for meeting challenges in the next phases. The turbines are
connected to a power station that supplies electricity to the grid at 6
MW.
3.
4. 02- Easy Deployment, Removal, and
Monitoring
• AR1500 and SeaGen turbines are placed down on a tripod base with a
connection that enables easy installation and retrieval.
The foundations, which weigh 250 to 350 metric tons, are coupled
with 6 ballast blocks weighing 1,200 metric tons to provide horizontal
stability.
• The turbines will contain on-board health monitoring systems, and
can be controlled remotely using a standard SCADA system. Sensors
on turbine seals alert a monitoring team if any seawater penetrates
the machinery.
6. 03- Design
• Turbines will be retrieved using a standard D2 vessel every six years
for overhaul and maintenance. An update in March confirmed that
offshore operations can be carried out throughout the year, rather
than being restricted to summer months.
8. 04- Autonomous Dynamic Yaw and Pitch
Systems
• The yaw drive system (YDS) rotates the turbine around its base to face
the tidal flow. The variable pitch system (VPS) automatically adjusts
the blades to change the incident angle of the tide. Both are
autonomous, and work to optimize power generation in the face of a
given tidal stream. The design includes triple redundancies to ensure
full operation. All dynamic systems send real time feedback to the
data centers.
• Read more about the full design in this comprehensive whitepaper.
10. 05- Maintenance
• Turbines will be retrieved using a standard D2 vessel every six years
for overhaul and maintenance. An update in March confirmed that
offshore operations can be carried out throughout the year, rather
than being restricted to summer months.
12. 06- Investing in the Future
• This tidal energy project has raised more funding than any other tidal
streams project in the world, with £51.3 million in equity, debt, and
grants secured from syndicate members. The UK government has
provided £10 million in grant funding from its Marine Energy Array
Demonstrator (MEAD) scheme—part of £185 million invested in low-
carbon technologies by the UK.
14. 07- The turbines are tethered to an onshore power-conversion station
through dedicated subsea array cables laid directly on the seabed. At
the foreshore, the cables are routed through boreholes in the bedrock
and then upward toward the power station. The power station at Ness
of Quoys in Caithness has been grid connected since June 2016,
converting energy from the three AHH turbines starting November 6
before they were removed for maintenance. It directly supplies energy
to the local electricity distribution network in Caithness with a capacity
currently at 6 MW.
16. 08- Environmental Accreditation
• Tidal energy is highlighted as a predictable renewable resource, and
designs like dynamic blade pitch and yaw systems optimize turbine
performance. Mey Gen is also strategic to ensure maintenance and
monitoring. MeyGen Phase 1A was granted full accreditation by
Ofgem under the Renewables Obligations (Scotland) Order in early
March. It will receive 5 Renewables Obligations Certificates (ROCs) for
every MWh of electricity to the grid.
18. 09- Future Outlook
• Construction of Phase 1B will start later this year, according to
MeyGen CEO Tim Cornelius, with 61 deployed turbines at 86 MW
capacity. The project's final contracted goal is to deploy 269 turbines
for 398 MW capacity by 2020.