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SeaGen – the underwater power plant
The SeaGen installation in the strait of Strangford Lough is located in Northern Ireland.
This prototype of a tidal turbine is already demonstrating the successful implementation of power generation using rotors mounted in water.
Not least with this project, Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines has developed from a pioneer into a technology leader in tidal turbines with horizontal axes.
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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Munich, Germany - February 17, 2012
Siemens strengthens its position in future-oriented market for marine current power plants – Acquisition of Marine Current Turbines.
Activities strengthened in the field of marine hydropower.
With its majority stake in the
British company Siemens is forging ahead with promising marine current turbine technology.
The SeaGen installation in the strait of Strangford Lough is located in Northern Ireland.
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SeaGen – the underwater power plant
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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This prototype of a tidal turbine is already demonstrating the successful implementation of power generation using rotors mounted in water.
Not least with
this project, Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines has developed from a pioneer into a technology leader in tidal turbines with horizontal axes.
SeaGen has in the meantime fed more than
three gigawatt-hours of electrical energy into the grid. In terms of power generated it is the
biggest marine current turbine project in commercial operation to date.
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From natural marine currents to electricity
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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A black and red steel tower rises above the water in the 150-square-meter Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland.
It is part of the world's first commercial marine current power plant.
The SeaGen facility has been in operation since November 2008.
Not far from the
small coastal town of Strangford the facility equipped with
two 600-kW turbines supplies ecofriendly power to over 1500 households.
Purely by utilizing tidal forces the facility reliably generates electrcity with the aid of
two axial-flow turbines with a combined capacity of 1.2 megawatts (MW).
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Maintenance without any great effort
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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Two underwater rotors attached to a tower structure drive the marine current turbine.
The twin rotors turn with the tidal current and optimally track the flow thanks to their
180-degree-pitch blades.
The crossbeam, to which the two rotors are attached, is 29 meters long.
The two drive trains each have a rotor of 16 meters in diameter and weigh 27 tons.
The facility is comparable to a wind turbine.
The energy density of the
flowing water is, however,
800 times higher than that of wind, thus making it possible to efficiently generate electricity.
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Maintenance without any great effort
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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Facility maintenance is uncomplicated.
The crossbeam, to which the SeaGen rotors are attached, can be raised above the level of the water for maintenance purposes with the aid of a hydraulic lifting system.
During Facility maintenance it is possible to pass directly past or below the turbine in a boat.
During operation the turbine rotors are as much as three meters below the surface.
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The tides as a reliable source of energy
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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The power plant is located in a strait in the natural harbor Strangford Lough.
The turbine is attached to a pile structure swept by the tidal currents, which is anchored to the
seabed at a depth of approximately 30 meters.
The turbine's rotor blades are driven by the water currents.
At every high tide around
18,000 m3 of water flow through the strait and the current reaches a continuous
velocity of more than 5 knots (2.4 m/s).
Marine energy has a major advantage.
Because of the known tidal cycles the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun cause the sea level to rise and fall.
The exactly tidal markedness can be forecast reliably with the aid of computations and this thus enables exact planning of power generation.
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Power generation 20 hours a day
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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Thanks to the innovative technology of the marine current turbine SeaGen can generate power for up to 20 hours a day at high and low tide.
The tidal power plant has to date fed more than three gigawatts of electrical energy into the grid.
In terms of power generated it is the
largest marine current turbine project worldwide.
Another project featuring several marine current turbines is at the planning stage:
The 8-megawatt Kyle Rhea facility is to be built in a strait between the
Scottish mainland and the Isle of Skye.
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The new electricity age
Courtesy of Siemens press pictures |
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The global potential for power generation using tidal power plants is estimated at 800 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year.
That is equivalent to approximately
one-quarter more than Germany's entire power demand and equals
three to four percent of power consumption worldwide.
Coastal regions with strong tidal currents such as those in the UK, Canada, France and East Asia have major potentials for the utilization of this technology.
Source: Siemens AG
http://www.siemens.com/press/
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