Atlantis set to plunge down the cost of tidal power
A team led by Atlantis Resources has won a government-backed contract worth up to £13.2m to investigate ways of driving down the cost of tidal power, as part of plans that could see the fledgling industry supply up to 27GW of capacity in the UK by 2050.
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) officially launched its Tidal Energy Converter System Demonstrator project yesterday, after signing a deal with a consortium on Monday consisting of Atlantis Resources, Black & Veatch, and Lockheed Martin.
The two-phase programme will first see the consortium test whether different turbine components and configurations could cut the cost of energy. If successful, they will progress to a second £10m phase to help bring the device to commercial readiness and demonstrate it in a realistic offshore environment.
The ETI said the entire programme is expected to take up to four years, and could potentially help the industry make significant strides in developing commercial-scale technology. The project is also expected to help Atlantis Resources boost the efficiency of its own AK1000 tidal turbine.
“We have assembled a world-class team with expertise spanning design and consultancy through to cutting-edge technology developers, experienced offshore practitioners and world-leading systems integrators,” said Tim Cornelius, Atlantis chief executive.
“Together with our lead project partners, Lockheed Martin and Black & Veatch, the project will seek to deliver cost reduction solutions that the industry can learn from and that will help make tidal power cost competitive on a large commercial scale.”
The award was announced by Energy Minister Charles Hendry yesterday, who said it would play a key role in scaling up the marine power sector.
The government has recognised that marine power could provide up to 27GW of capacity in the UK by 2050, much of which is expected to be deployed after 2020. However, most of the emerging small scale technologies need to be deployed through commercial-scale construction projects to be successful.
“Reducing costs to levels comparable to other low carbon systems is critical in accelerating the development and commercialisation of tidal energy converter device arrays,” said Hendry. “This is part of a co-ordinated programme of public-sector support for innovation in marine energy, which is expected to exceed £80m over the next few years.”
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) officially launched its Tidal Energy Converter System Demonstrator project yesterday, after signing a deal with a consortium on Monday consisting of Atlantis Resources, Black & Veatch, and Lockheed Martin.
The two-phase programme will first see the consortium test whether different turbine components and configurations could cut the cost of energy. If successful, they will progress to a second £10m phase to help bring the device to commercial readiness and demonstrate it in a realistic offshore environment.
The ETI said the entire programme is expected to take up to four years, and could potentially help the industry make significant strides in developing commercial-scale technology. The project is also expected to help Atlantis Resources boost the efficiency of its own AK1000 tidal turbine.
“We have assembled a world-class team with expertise spanning design and consultancy through to cutting-edge technology developers, experienced offshore practitioners and world-leading systems integrators,” said Tim Cornelius, Atlantis chief executive.
“Together with our lead project partners, Lockheed Martin and Black & Veatch, the project will seek to deliver cost reduction solutions that the industry can learn from and that will help make tidal power cost competitive on a large commercial scale.”
The award was announced by Energy Minister Charles Hendry yesterday, who said it would play a key role in scaling up the marine power sector.
The government has recognised that marine power could provide up to 27GW of capacity in the UK by 2050, much of which is expected to be deployed after 2020. However, most of the emerging small scale technologies need to be deployed through commercial-scale construction projects to be successful.
“Reducing costs to levels comparable to other low carbon systems is critical in accelerating the development and commercialisation of tidal energy converter device arrays,” said Hendry. “This is part of a co-ordinated programme of public-sector support for innovation in marine energy, which is expected to exceed £80m over the next few years.”
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