Tocardo International and ORE Catapult collaborated as partners of the TIDAL-EC project, involving research and development activities to substantially improve the economic competitiveness of tidal stream power generation – a key developing sector of the offshore renewable energy market.
The project’s overall objective was to optimise and improve tidal turbine reliability, increasing power conversion efficiency and facilitate reduction in the cost of tidal power. The project also supports SME tidal developers in offering warranties and guarantees to end customers, enabling large-scale roll out of tidal energy in the EU.
ORE Catapult’s drivetrain experts were challenged to develop a 1MW powertrain test rig, including a bespoke tank for submerging the generator, as well as support Tocardo’s T2 testing programme.
ORE Catapult’s role in TIDAL-EC was to provide the powertrain expertise and facilities in order to validate and optimise Tocardo’s T2 turbine. Specifically, the project focussed on two critical components: the power take off system and the electrical generator. ORE Catapult’s drivetrain experts were challenged to develop a 1MW powertrain test rig, including a bespoke tank for submerging the generator, as well as support Tocardo’s T2 testing programme.
As a result, Tocardo was able to conduct a successful test programme before deploying eight T2 turbines at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney for further validation testing.
Download
