Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) has unveiled the design for what it claims will be the largest and most powerful single rotor tidal turbine available on the commercial market.
The AR2000 will have a maximum output of 2MW and will be able to accommodate rotors with a diameter of between 20 and 24 metres.
Building on lessons from its predecessor – the AR1500 – SAE has spent more than £5 million developing the new design over the last two years in an effort to lower the cost of tidal power and make it competitive with other forms of renewable energy.
The turbine is scheduled to go on sale the fourth quarter of 2019 and is expected to be deployed as part of a future phase of the MeyGen project in northern Scotland. Four turbines have already been installed for the first phase of the project, including one 1.5MW AR1500.
SAE said it is currently in discussions with various governments, developers and site owners as it seeks to identify suitable locations for a manufacturing, assembly, testing and commissioning facility.
“The AR2000 marks the culmination of 15 years of investment, relentless experimentation, rigorous testing and subsea operation,” said SAE director of turbine and engineering services, Drew Blaxland.
“Not only will it be the largest single rotor turbine in production, it will be the backbone of a highly efficient and cost-effective generation system capable of deployment in each of our key target markets in the UK, France, the Channel Islands, Asia, Australia and Canada.
“The AR2000 system has been designed to deliver a lower levelised cost of energy and increased reliability. Combining a larger rotor diameter with a drive train capable of being daisy-chain linked, optimised redundancy and quick connection, will deliver an offshore generation system that can compete with other comparable sources of renewable generation when deployed at scale.”
SAE was formerly known as Atlantis Resources but was renamed after the company acquired Simec Uskmouth Power in June.