The 1MW Hammerfest Strom HS1000 device, which can power annual electricity needs of 500 homes,is to be used by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) as part of the world’s first tidal turbine array in the Sound of Islay.  Next up are plans to develop a 10MW tidal array which in March received planning consent from the Scottish Government.  

Developed by Hammerfest Strøm, part owned by Iberdrola (SPR’s parent company), Andritz Hydro and Statoil New Energy, a prototype device has been generating electricity in Norway for over 6 years.

The HS1000 device now enter a test period to confirm performance and reliability, in preparation for larger scale production and its deployment. The machine is expected to be fully operational, early 2012 with the Islay project machines being installed as early as feasible between 2013 to 2015.

Current commentary  notes that as recent  gale force winds left many powerless in Scotland,  it is a timely installation as windfarm's are running out of suitable Scottish on-shore real estate. ForArgyll  urges that  the importance of smart grid access be not overlooked and seem somewhat left behind by developments. Further as renewable energy can be excessively generated in storm conditions, energy storage is another important factor.  Here EMEC is undertaking some trials for Nottingham University.

 A quick scan of EMEC 2011 Christmas Card  finds it dividing its activities into wave, tidal , new scale test, operations, further afield, awards and industry involvement.

EMEC is preoccupied with a wide variety of research work that involves not only wave and tide site projects, studying wildlife displacement observations, as well as acoustic emissions and subsurface sonar impacts of such power devices. Live wave information is monitored by 2 Datawell directional wave rider buoys and recorded via a SCADA system.

But the Centre also operates AIS receiving stations from the wave test site to the west of the mainland and also from the tidal site on the northern isle of Eday. These stations provide a combined coverage of over four and a half thousand square km. (The map photographed left showed only two tugs for the area at the point of time.)

And they are even up on battery powered electric cars with staff being delighted to have a run in Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV battery-powered electric car which has an impressive lithium ion battery power system ranked 'impressive'. Eileen Linklater is pictured following her test run of the car down to the Billia Croo wave test site 

Subsea energy storage focus
EMEC is pleased to announce another innovative technology to be tested on one of our intermediate scale sites. The University of Nottingham will be trialling their Energy Bag concept (pictured above) – a compressed air energy storage system – in EMEC’s scale wave test site in Scapa Flow.

 Professor Seamus D. Garvey (left) leading the project said: "We are delighted to announce that we will be carrying out the world’s first offshore installation of an Energy Bag at the European Marine Energy Centre in the first few months of 2012. The work, which is funded by E.ON, will involve the installation and cycling of a 4m diameter open base Energy Bag in one of EMEC’s scale test sites, to prove the bag’s performance underwater and investigate any unforeseen problems with offshore installation.

"Compressed air energy storage (below) has the potential to economically deal with the intermittency inherent to most forms of renewable energy, and subsea storage in Energy Bags is a new technology which promises very low costs.

This installation is an important step towards commercialisation, and we’re really looking forward to getting up to Orkney and working with the team at the European Marine Energy Centre."