Excellent news for the sector of Marine Renewable Energy. The tidal energy company Nova Innovation (UK) will export 15 of its new 100kW D2T2 direct-drive tidal turbines to Canada. It will be the company’s first international project.
Most of the technology in the area of MRE (Marine Renewable Energy) is still in the R&D status, developed in Europe, which is I would say – at least at the moment the world leader in this technology, especially in UK, Norway, France and Denmark. The European Union has an ambitious goal. In 2050 10% of EU’s electricity should be generated by MRE.
In 2016 Nova installed the world’s first offshore tidal array in the Shetland Isles, Scotland deploying three Nova M100 tidal turbines. These 100 kW turbines have been exporting power to the grid for over three years. In 2017, Nova Innovation secured €2.25m of funding from the European Commission to develop an innovative Direct Drive Tidal Turbine (D2T2), with the aim of significantly reducing the cost of tidal energy.
A new design eliminates the need for a gear box. Removing the gear box reduces the number of moving parts, making the device more efficient and reliable than a conventional turbine. The project successfully achieved its target of cutting the cost of tidal energy by 30%. The D2T2 turbines will be installed in the Petit Passage Marine Renewable Energy Area, Canada.
Are Tidal Turbines something for the Caribbean?
I don’t think so. The tide isn’t significant, and currents are not strong enough. Theoretically, the most promising technology for the Caribbean area is so far OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion). Barbados opened 2018 a tender for consulting services for technical studies related to the build-out of large-scale ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).
Also, we can see some new developments and alliances in the industry about floatable solar energy. In 2019 a consortium in Belgium announced a pilot project about the first open-ocean floating solar array. Similar plans also exist in the Netherlands.
Offshore wind could be an exciting option for the region Kingston with the different cays, and shallow waters close to the capital may be an option for a feasibility study.