ETI targets costs reductions of future tidal stream energy arrays
30 March 2011
30th March 2011
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has started the search for organisations and consortia capable of designing and demonstrating low-cost commercial scale tidal stream energy converter (TEC) arrays.
The project will be commissioned in two phases. The first will require organisations to identify specific technical opportunities for reducing the cost of energy of TEC arrays and the second will be the development and demonstration of the best opportunities as part of a TEC array demonstration.
It is expected that there will be opportunities for cost reduction throughout the array system, but novel support structures such as foundation design, innovative power take off (PTO) systems, and subsea infrastructure and network connection are the primary areas of interest to the ETI.
These innovations will be applied to create low through-life cost, commercial scale, horizontal-axis axial-flow TEC arrays, which will improve the competitiveness of the industry and accelerate array deployment.
The ETI is looking for teams that have a broad range of skills in TEC device and array design, offshore engineering and deployment, offshore electrical systems and major engineering supply chain groups.
A Request for Proposals (RfP) has been issued for organisations wanting to get involved in the project and more details are available on the ETI website.
The deadline for the notification of intention to submit a proposal is 6 May, 2011 and all proposals must be received by 23 May, 2011.
A project briefing event will be held at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Savoy Place, London on 7 April. To register for a place at the ETI briefing session please email marineevent@eti.co.uk. The briefing will be followed by an industry networking event open to all interested parties hosted by RenewableUK. More details on both events can be found at www.bwea.com/registration/eti
ETI Chief Executive Dr David Clarke said: "Marine energy technologies have the opportunity to play a major role in enabling the UK to meet its long-term CO2 emissions reductions targets and sustain security of supply given the significant natural energy resources available within UK waters. Tidal Energy Converter (TEC) arrays need to be able to capture as much energy as possible from tidal stream flows whilst withstanding the very harsh environment associated with deployment at sea. Our strategic modelling suggests that tidal energy can be a valuable part of the UK energy system with potentially more than 10GW of capacity. To be viable, TEC arrays will need to be cost competitive with other low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear, bioenergy and offshore wind. With the cost improvements we expect to demonstrate in this project TEC arrays will have the opportunity to move from niche applications to wide scale deployment."
The ETI has identified cost reduction as crucial to development of the marine energy sector and to creating impact on the broader UK energy system in its Marine Energy Technology Roadmap, published in conjunction with the UK Energy Research Centre in October 2010.
A number of individual devices are undergoing sea trials, and early arrays are currently planned. However, there remain a number of significant technology and cost challenges before marine energy is likely to establish itself within the UK energy sector. This project will look at how those challenges can be met in order to provide an affordable, sustainable and secure supply of energy.
The ETI is a public private partnership between six global industrial companies and the UK Government tasked with developing “mass scale” technologies that will help the UK meet its 2020 and 2050 energy targets. It is concerned with identifying affordable, sustainable and secure energy across heat, power, transport and the infrastructure that links them.
Anyone interesting in receiving details of future RfPs issued by the ETI can sign up to the RSS feed on the ETI website, subscribe to receive the ETI’s newsletters by emailing info@eti.co.uk or follow the ETI on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_eti
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact
ETI PR Manager Nigel Richardson on 01509 202084/07827 946064 or email nigel.richardson@eti.co.uk
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has started the search for organisations and consortia capable of designing and demonstrating low-cost commercial scale tidal stream energy converter (TEC) arrays.
The project will be commissioned in two phases. The first will require organisations to identify specific technical opportunities for reducing the cost of energy of TEC arrays and the second will be the development and demonstration of the best opportunities as part of a TEC array demonstration.
It is expected that there will be opportunities for cost reduction throughout the array system, but novel support structures such as foundation design, innovative power take off (PTO) systems, and subsea infrastructure and network connection are the primary areas of interest to the ETI.
These innovations will be applied to create low through-life cost, commercial scale, horizontal-axis axial-flow TEC arrays, which will improve the competitiveness of the industry and accelerate array deployment.
The ETI is looking for teams that have a broad range of skills in TEC device and array design, offshore engineering and deployment, offshore electrical systems and major engineering supply chain groups.
A Request for Proposals (RfP) has been issued for organisations wanting to get involved in the project and more details are available on the ETI website.
The deadline for the notification of intention to submit a proposal is 6 May, 2011 and all proposals must be received by 23 May, 2011.
A project briefing event will be held at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Savoy Place, London on 7 April. To register for a place at the ETI briefing session please email marineevent@eti.co.uk. The briefing will be followed by an industry networking event open to all interested parties hosted by RenewableUK. More details on both events can be found at www.bwea.com/registration/eti
ETI Chief Executive Dr David Clarke said: "Marine energy technologies have the opportunity to play a major role in enabling the UK to meet its long-term CO2 emissions reductions targets and sustain security of supply given the significant natural energy resources available within UK waters. Tidal Energy Converter (TEC) arrays need to be able to capture as much energy as possible from tidal stream flows whilst withstanding the very harsh environment associated with deployment at sea. Our strategic modelling suggests that tidal energy can be a valuable part of the UK energy system with potentially more than 10GW of capacity. To be viable, TEC arrays will need to be cost competitive with other low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear, bioenergy and offshore wind. With the cost improvements we expect to demonstrate in this project TEC arrays will have the opportunity to move from niche applications to wide scale deployment."
The ETI has identified cost reduction as crucial to development of the marine energy sector and to creating impact on the broader UK energy system in its Marine Energy Technology Roadmap, published in conjunction with the UK Energy Research Centre in October 2010.
A number of individual devices are undergoing sea trials, and early arrays are currently planned. However, there remain a number of significant technology and cost challenges before marine energy is likely to establish itself within the UK energy sector. This project will look at how those challenges can be met in order to provide an affordable, sustainable and secure supply of energy.
The ETI is a public private partnership between six global industrial companies and the UK Government tasked with developing “mass scale” technologies that will help the UK meet its 2020 and 2050 energy targets. It is concerned with identifying affordable, sustainable and secure energy across heat, power, transport and the infrastructure that links them.
Anyone interesting in receiving details of future RfPs issued by the ETI can sign up to the RSS feed on the ETI website, subscribe to receive the ETI’s newsletters by emailing info@eti.co.uk or follow the ETI on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_eti
Notes to Editors
- The Energy Technologies Institute is a UK based company formed from global industries and the UK Government. The ETI brings together projects and partnerships that create affordable, reliable, clean energy for heat, power, transport and associated infrastructure. For more information, please go to www.energytechnologies.co.uk
- The ETI’s six private sector members are BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell. The ETI’s public funds are received from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills through the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The ETI will accelerate the deployment of affordable, secure low-carbon energy systems from 2020 to 2050 by demonstrating technologies, developing knowledge, skills and supply-chains and informing the development of regulation, standards and policy.
- The ETI’s Marine Energy Technology Roadmap, published in conjunction with the UK Energy Research Centre can be downloaded from this article's related documents.
For further information please contact
ETI PR Manager Nigel Richardson on 01509 202084/07827 946064 or email nigel.richardson@eti.co.uk