energy transition
Energie Orbital O2 – the most powerful floating turbine in the world
When the wings are raised, the draft is only three meters.
© Orbital Marine Power / PR
The turbine buoy O2 works in the Orkney Islands. It is the most powerful system of its kind and should be mass-produced at low cost.
In the photos, O2 looks like a spaceship that is stranded in the water. In fact, it is “the most powerful tidal turbine in the world”. Currently, O2 is anchored in the Orkney Islands. There it is installed on the sea, but does not generate the electricity from the ups and downs of the wave movement, but from the alternation of ebb and flow. It is supposed to convert the power of the tides into energy much more cheaply than previous dams. In contrast to tidal power plants, which are permanently installed on the shore, O2 floats in the sea and is only anchored to the ground. So you only invest in the turbine and the carrier buoy, but you don’t have to finance a dam, which also spoils the coast.
Photo gallery: Orbital O2 will harvest the power of ebb and flow with giant rotors
6 pictures
Ebb and flow arise because the moon’s gravity acts on the seas, at certain points in the sea such as straits the effect is increased, this is the ideal area for turbines like 02. Although the tides also fluctuate, but the great advantage of this regenerative one Energy is that it reliably produces energy throughout the year, both day and night.
This story is part of one Bertelsmann Content Alliance theme week. Under the motto “Let’s do it – So that it still works tomorrow!” are dedicated to RTL Germany, UFA, RTL Radio Germany, the Penguin Random House publishing group and the publishing house Gruner + Jahr, in which the star will be published from October 4th to 10th on the topic of water. The aim of this theme week is awareness of the value and threat to our water resource to increase.
Freely rotating rotors
Channels can be created in the sea to increase the speed of the current; in the middle, the power plant is fixed to the ground with four cables. Under the long platform, two rotors with a diameter of 20 meters hang on 18-meter-long articulated arms. The turbines can be lifted to the surface for maintenance, so that no complex immersion work is necessary. The draft can be reduced to three meters, so the whole system can also be moved with small boats. The combined area of the rotors is 600 square meters, on the arms the rotors can be turned into the flow without having to readjust the hull.
In principle, the 02 is an XXL offshore version of floating turbines that can be anchored in fast-flowing rivers and have been mass-produced for a long time. The 02 platform is then also 74 meters long. The company says it “has the ability to generate enough clean, predictable electricity to meet the needs of about 2,000 UK households and offset about 2,000 tons of CO2 production annually.” This would make O2 the world’s most powerful floating tidal turbine. The system is intended for series production. Above all, the costs were considered.
Designed for series production
“Orbital O2 is designed to provide low-cost access to all systems and components, the vast majority of which are within the floating structure, for easy on-site maintenance,” Orbital Marine Power wrote in a press release. These buoys can be built in series in the factory or shipyard. Since they are towed to the site by sea, they do not have the problems of land transport.
According to Andrew Scott, CEO of Orbital Marine Power, “The Orbital O2 is a cost effective solution for future commercial projects. This optimized turbine will enter the tidal markets around the world at a competitive price and provide regulators and investors with a new, predictable option offer renewable energies. “
Wave and tidal energy will occupy an important place in the energy mix of the future, as they do not follow the generation rhythm of wind and solar energy and can produce electricity continuously. In addition, the impact on ecosystems and the landscape is less with the floating platforms than with fixed installations. In terms of development and testing, this form of hydropower is decades behind wind energy.
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