Marine Current Technologies seems to be making some headway in its quest to tap power from tides.It had recently started construction of the largest offshore tidal power system - SeaGen , in waters of Strangford Narrows.Now the system has briefly generated 150 kilowatts of power before running into a mechanical malfunction.Often referred to as “ Watermills “ , tidal power turbines work like wind turbines.However the motion of turbine blades is obtained due to tidal action.Such a process is advantageous , as tides are relatively more predictable than winds.
However this technology if also prohibitively expensive.For instance , the SeaGen is a $20 million project , MCT further adds “ The technology is emerging, so right now it is expensive. But we expect that as it gets developed at a commercial scale and we learn more about it, it will be at a price consistent with other forms of renewable energy “. However these watermills also pose a danger to marine life on account of their huge size.But MCT says that the technology used in SeaGen allows for complete control of rotor blades.The researchers can start and stop the rotor, and make it go faster or slower. And to prevent any damage to the ecosystem, MCT plans to keep the rotors at about 14 revolutions per minute, a speed that is too slow for marine life to run into the blades or to alter tides.This would definitely prevent any damage to small marine life but still pose a danger to larger beings such as whales.Further , such a system would require continuous monitoring and frequent power alterations and may not satisfy a base load requirement.
However , MCT has larger plans in its kitty. It has teamed up with a German utility company to build a 10.5-megawatt project off the coast of North Wales that is expected to be operational within three years.
