Energy from the Power of the Moon

Full propulsion marine current power plant “Made by SKF” now installed at the Scottish sea

The development of tidal power is supported by the global drive to transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives. It is intended to help reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions, slow down global warming and thus build a more sustainable future for generations to come.

With the help of modern technology from SKF, another source of power from nature, besides sun and wind, will be tapped there from now: that of the moon, which can be felt on earth in the tidal currents of the sea created by its gravitational pull. Strong currents arise where the ebb and flow of tide squeeze between islands. These are particularly powerful off the Orkney Islands, which is why experiments with tidal current power plants have been carried out here for several years; specifically at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). Today EMEC is Europe’s leading test site for tidal and wave energy projects

Orbital Marine Power, Scottish-based developers of the world’s leading floating tidal turbine technology, has now launched its first commercial 2MW unit, the Orbital O2, which will soon be installed at EMEC, where it will become the world’s most powerful operational tidal turbine.

About 15 meters below the O2’s 72m-long superstructure, are two fully integrated drive trains from SKF on two wing-like legs. Here the two double-bladed rotors turn, each with a diameter of 20 metres, the largest ever on a single generating platform to date, driven by the ocean current. The electricity generated in the generators is conducted ashore via a submarine cable, where it can be fed directly into the grid, stored or processed into “green hydrogen”.