Scotrenewables Tidal Turbine (SRTT):Scotrenewables Tidal Turbine (SRTT):A case studyA case study

Developer/Institutional collaboration within the Scottish Developer/Institutional collaboration within the Scottish

marine energy policy frameworkmarine energy policy framework

Rhydar HarrisRhydar Harris

Prestedge Retief Dresner Wijnberg (Pty) LtdPrestedge Retief Dresner Wijnberg (Pty) Ltd

18 September 200918 September 2009

Disclaimer

■ The views and opinions presented in this document are solely those of the author

■ No representation is made for either, Scotrenewables Marine Power (Pty) Ltd or

Prestedge Retief Dresner Wijnberg (Pty) Ltd

■ All material has been obtained from the public domain

■ The author has attempted in as much as possible to impartially and objectively

present all available information

Background

■ September 2006 - January 2008

• Hydrodynamicist at Scotrenewables Marine Power in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland

• Tasked to investigate the hydrodynamic response of the device

• Rotor modelling and design

• Numerical modelling

• Specify required testing procedure

■ Why Orkney?

Outline of Contents

■ Introduction

• Orkney Islands

■ Scotrenewables Marine Power (SRMP) Pty. Ltd

• Brief History of SRMP

• Scotrenewables Tidal Turbine (SRTT) – Technical Details

• Funding

• Collaboration

■ UK and Scotland Renewable Energy

• Political Drivers

• Natural Resource

• Technical Resource

• Funding History for Marine Renewables

Outline of Contents

■ European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)

• Context of Involvement with Developers

• Services and Facilities at EMEC

■ South African Context

■ Questions?

Orkney Islands Location

Orkney Islands Facts and Figures

■ Over 70 islands, 16 km North of Scotland, Population of 20 000

■ Long history of marine renewable exploitation:

• The population boomed in the late 17th century, when whaling fleets regularly made anchor in

Stromness

• Ships from the Hudson Bay Company, on the way to the Bay of Fundy, to find the North-west

passage

■ Tidal Potential

• Pentland Firth - Tidal race with speeds reported to 16 knots in places

• Described as the “Saudi Arabia of Tidal Power”

• Capable of generating up to 10GW

■ Wave Potential

• Orkney, Western Isles and the North West of Scotland have the potential to generate 14GW

of power from waves

Orkney IslandsNorth Ronaldsay Sheep

■ Live almost entirely on seaweed

■ Confined to the shore by a 6ft high

stone wall

■ Susceptible to trace elements of

copper

■ Eat on the low tide, ruminate on the

high tide

■ Lessons to be learned:

• Adaptation

• Energy from tidal fluctuations

■ History

• Original device concept 2000 - B Johnstone - PhD

• 2004 - 16th Scale construction and testing - Highlands and Island Enterprise funded

• 2005 - 7th Scale construction and testing - DTI funding

• 2005 - Detailed Cost of Energy Analysis + Further 7th Scale testing - Carbon Trust funding

• 2006 - National winner of the Shell Springboard competition

• 2006 - Energy company TOTAL acquired 10% shareholding

• 2006 - DTI funded Production, Design and Verification

• 2007 - £1.8 m Scottish Executive funding - 6 Employees

• 2008 - £6.2 m Fred Olsen - Biggest investment in Scottish tidal project to date

• 2008 - 5th Scale testing

• ~ 2010 Full scale prototype testing at the European Marine Energy Centre

SRMPScotrenewables Marine Power Pty. Ltd.

SRTTScotrenewables Tidal Turbine

■ Device Description

• Twin horizontal axis turbines below a

single buoyancy tube

• 12 m diameter rotors for a 1.2 MW

device

• Approximate dimensions ~ 30 m long

• Compliant mooring system (CALM) of

the SPM family

SRTTTechnology

■ Transportation/Survivability

• Device is designed to be transportable with

relatively small craft

• Maintenance cost reduced by transportation

to a harbour

• Not reliant on specialist retrieval vessel

• Transportation draught of under 4.5 m

• Major percentage of cost of offshore wind in

M & O costs reduced

■ Operation

• Draft of approximately 11 m

• Depths > 25 m

• Velocities 2.5 m/s to 5 m/s

SRTTTechnology

■ Power Take Off

• Hydraulic pumps in the nacelles

• Hydraulic transmission lines to accumulator bank

• Variable displacement hydraulic motor to

generators

• 6.6 kV Breaker to wet mate connectors

• Umbilical cable to land based substation

■ Internals General Arrangement

• Modular design to assist in minimising

construction time

• Ease maintenance

SRTTTechnology

■ Mooring System

• Complaint mooring system allows

device to be moored in deep water

• Quick release connection of the

mooring yoke to the SPM buoy

General ObservationModelling of MEC’s

■ Multi-disciplinary: Mooring, power take-off, hydrodynamics, metocean, anchoring..

■ No existing software to model the complete system

■ Interdependent - Response of power take-off effects vessel motions

■ Current institutional research progress at the same level as developer research

■ Small scale physical model testing problematic - scale factors for power take off and

dynamic response

■ Larger scale model testing => EMEC

EMECEuropean Marine Energy Centre

■ History

• Established in 2001

• “Provides developers with the opportunity to test full-scale grid-connected prototype devices

in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions”

■ Facilities

• “EMEC provides the worlds only multi-berth, purpose-built, open sea test facilities for wave

and tidal marine energy converters.”

• Wave test site at Billia Croo, Mainland Orkney

• Tidal test site in the Fall of Warness off the island of Eday

• Office and data facilities in Stromness

EMECServices

■ Services

• Independent assessment of devices' energy conversion capabilities, structural performance

and survivability

• Assistance with Grid connection and ROCs (Renewable Obligations Certificate)

accreditation

• Real-time monitoring of meteorological and marine resource conditions

• Extensive assistance with consent & regulatory issues

• Opportunity to join EMEC's Monitoring Strategy

• Extensive local research and engineering support

• Nearby access to sheltered water and harbours

• Office and data centre support

EMEC Facilities Tidal Site

■ Full tidal regime with test berths in 12 m to

45 m water

■ All berths UK grid connected

■ Real-time device and environmental

monitoring

■ Nearby access to sheltered waters and

harbours

■ Full office and data centre

■ Extensive local research and engineering

support

■ Coastal 11kV control and switching station

■ Metered power output from test devices

■ SCADA system

EMEC Facilities Wave Site

■ Full oceanic wave regime with test berths in

50 m water

■ All berths UK grid-connected

■ Real-time device and environmental

monitoring

■ Nearby access to sheltered water and

harbours

■ Full office and data centre

■ Extensive local research and engineering

support

■ Coastal 11kV control and switching station

■ Metered power output from test devices

■ SCADA system

EMEC Images Open Hydro

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy Policy Drivers

■ Energy Security

• Oil and gas extraction - North Sea - 1970's

• Peak Oil reached in approximately 2000

• Increasing insecurity in importing oil and gas

■ Natural Resource - UK and Scotland

• Wave potential ~ 14 GW

• Tidal Potential ~ 10 GW

• Wind Potential

• Not much sun…

■ Technical Resource

• University of Edinburgh - Wave Group 1970’s

• Massive existing offshore infrastructure/investment

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy Policy Drivers

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy Policy Response

■ Renewable Obligation Credits (ROC’s)

• Main pillar of the current renewable energy policy

• Requirement on UK electricity suppliers to source renewable percentage

• Subsidies to technologies based on MWh delivered ~ £45/MWh

• Regardless of the cost of production

■ Levy Exemption Certificate (LEC)

• Generators of RE receive a levy exemption

• Additional but smaller revenue streams from suppliers

■ Total R & D funding for marine renewables in Scotland to date ~ £96.1m

• DTI ~ £60 m

• Carbon Trust ~ £5.7 m

• Scottish Executive ~ £13 m

• £10 m - Scottish Government - Saltier Prize

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy PolicyImplementation

■ R & D grants

• Applying to technologies according to their stage of development

• 4 Phases

■ Stage 1:

• Research and Development Stage

• DTI Technology Programme

• Carbon Trust's Applied Research Programme and Technology Accelerator

• EU's Framework for Research and Technical Development

■ Stage 2:

• Demonstration Phase

• Possibly up to full scale protoype

■ Stage 2:

• Some are producing grid connected power (Ref EMEC/WaveHub)

• Funding through RO and LEC

• Marine Renewable Development Fund

■ Stage 3

• Mainly offshore wind

• Accepted fundamental technology

• Focus on refinement and cost reduction

• RO and LEC exemption

• Capital grants are available

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy PolicyImplementation

Scottish/UK Renewable Energy PolicyImplementation

■ Stage 4:

• Proven technology and scale projects are operational

• Onshore wind

• Operating returns are not yet attractive without subsidies

• RO and LEC exemption

■ Scottish/UK Policy aimed at generating an international market for Marine

Renewables

■ Similar ideals as Denmark for wind power

South AfricaComparative Wave Resource

South AfricaOpportunities

■ Drivers

• No peak coal??

• No major offshore support industry to support

• Abundance of other forms of renewable energy

• Good wind climate

• Plentiful solar potential

• Moderate to good wave climate…

• Limited funding for marine renewables

■ Solutions

• AMEC (African Marine Energy Centre) - SANERI??

• Facilitate the expansion of Scottish/UK research and MEC development

Questions

■ ?