Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EnFAIT (Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal)

Teaser

Tidal energy is a significant potential source of sustainable, predictable, low-cost energy. With a global ocean energy market worth £76bn, it’s estimated that marine energy could contribute billions to the EU economy by 2050, offering strong business growth and job...

Summary

Tidal energy is a significant potential source of sustainable, predictable, low-cost energy. With a global ocean energy market worth £76bn, it’s estimated that marine energy could contribute billions to the EU economy by 2050, offering strong business growth and job creation opportunities. But our ability to extract energy from tides is at an early stage of technology development and so the challenge faced is our ability to extract that energy economically, and compete with other sources of energy generation.

The EnFAIT project is focusing on scaling up Nova Innovation’s existing operational Shetland tidal turbine array from three 100kW devices to six devices, minimising development risk and generating results from day one. In a world-first, turbines in the array will be repositioned during the project to explore the effects of array configuration on efficiency and on reducing the cost of energy, with computer modelling software used to determine the most efficient and effective array layout.

The project partnership of nine European companies, led by Scottish tidal energy developer Nova Innovation, will demonstrate a grid-connected tidal energy array that:
• delivers a step change in the lifetime cost of energy for tidal power;
• proves that high array reliability and availability can be achieved with best practice maintenance regimes;
• captures and disseminates substantial learning on fundamental issues for the ocean energy industry;
• builds investor confidence; and
• takes a significant step towards creating a commercial, bankable tidal energy sector.

This project represents a major step change in the development of the European tidal energy sector and will demonstrate the strong business growth opportunities for companies coming from a maturing tidal energy market.

Work performed

The EnFAIT project has made significant progress during the first Reporting Period (RP1) towards the overall aim of the project, which is to demonstrate a grid-connected tidal energy array that proves high reliability and availability with best practice maintenance regimes.

A number of communication platforms have been created during RP1 to enable the dissemination of the project and its outputs. A project website has been created to raise awareness of the project and to provide a platform to share the public deliverables, along with a project video. A number of industry and local events have also been attended where the project and its objectives have been presented and shared. The communications team have also been active on social media to promote the project and the wider benefits of tidal energy.

RP1 has seen all project tasks and objectives completed as planned with highlights being :
• successful continued operation and learning from the existing tidal array of three turbines;
• successful delivery of all consents and licences required for the project;
• offshore work for the initial resource assessment campaign successfully completed, including the development and deployment of an innovative instrumentation skid, with preliminary findings validating the project design specification;
• detailed design of the array and three additional turbines;
• design and successful implementation of instrumentation upgrades to the three existing turbines to obtain further operational and performance data; and
• thorough forensic analysis of one of the existing turbines, to inform estimates of component lifetime and reliability.

The project consortium has been performing very well, with positive interactions and collaborative working taking place between all partners across all work packages. The project is progressing on schedule and within the available budget, which has been monitored regularly during RP1 and will continue to be monitored and managed as the project progresses.

Of the 72 deliverables due to be submitted to the European Commission as part of the project, 34 have been submitted during RP1 and 5 of the project Milestones have been achieved as planned.

Final results

EnFAIT will demonstrate the full lifecycle of a tidal energy array, from design to decommissioning. It will be operated for a period during the project as a commercial array, in order to demonstrate a step change in the lifetime cost of energy from the state of the art. In addition, the turbine devices will be highly instrumented and operated to generate learning into key factors affecting the performance of a tidal array, drawing out the critically required lessons for future cost reductions.

The consortium will engage with investors and potential clients to focus on investor needs and demonstrate commercial attractiveness. Environmental and socio-economic impacts will be assessed in order to identify and promote the benefits of ocean energy arrays and mitigate any remaining barriers to commercialisation.

The close collaboration of leading European industrial companies demonstrated in EnFAIT will help to root the emerging tidal energy industry and supply chain in Europe and maximise the potential impact of the sector on European jobs and growth.

Ocean energy resources are typically located far from centres of population, close to remote and fragile communities. The experience of EnFAIT partners in developing ocean energy projects in Shetland is that they can have a significant, positive economic impact on remote communities, contributing to the Blue Growth Strategy objective of achieving sustainable growth in maritime communities. These benefits will be identified, analysed and publicised as part of the Local Community Engagement Strategy activity with EnFAIT.

Europe has been estimated to contain up to 50% of global tidal energy resource. Utilising this renewable, predictable and indigenous source of power could meet 8% of European energy demand, thus reducing the need to import fuels and improving EU energy security.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.enfait.eu/.