Scotland is a country famous for the mysterious creatures that inhabit its waters, such as the mythical Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. Anyone who ventures by boat to the Orkney Islands, an archipelago to the north of the British country, may also come across another unusual but good giant.
Ten miles north of Orkney, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea, is the world's most powerful tidal power generator, the O2, from Orbital Marine Power. “His shadow quickly overtakes our small boat,” reports one report by The Guardian.
The company chose this specific point because Orkney records some of the strongest tidal currents on the planet — they reach speeds of more than 3 meters per second. The floating platform captures this energy flowing from the waters and transforms it into electricity with the help of submerged turbines.
The United Kingdom is considered a world leader in developing technology to generate energy from tides. This solution is not yet widely explored by other countries, but it is considered the next frontier when it comes to renewable energy. And there's a curious fact: it is the only source of renewable energy that comes from the Moon's attraction to the Earth.
“Unlike other renewable energies that rely on, for example, the sun or wind, tidal resources are predictable and continuous,” Professor AbuBakr Bahaj, head of the University's energy and climate change division, tells The Guardian from Southampton.
Their advantage over tidal dams that are used in some places is that this type of platform costs less to build and has a lower environmental impact than dams, which alter tidal flow and can affect marine and bird life.
More countries adopt the solution
The platform was deployed to Orkney in July 2021 and consists of a 74 meter long floating structure, equipped with a two-blade submerged turbine on each side. A submarine cable connects it to the local electricity grid on land, providing an amount of energy capable of supplying 2,000 homes.
If fully exploited, tidal power generation could provide 11% of the UK's current electricity needs, according to research from the University of Plymouth.
Other countries are eyeing this new source of renewable energy. In 2020, the Canadian government announced an investment of US$28.5 million in tidal power generation with technology developed by Scottish company Sustainable Marine in the Bay of Fundy, home to the most powerful tides in the world. In May 2022, the Canada delivered first tidal energy platform for Nova Scotia's power grid.
And in the Faroe Islands, Swedish developer Minesto will install and operate two tidal energy exploration platforms, which will be connected to the grid and the islands' main energy company, which has committed to purchasing the electricity generated.
“There is global interest in tidal flow. With the current rise in gas and electricity prices, tidal energy is likely to compete favorably,” says Bahaj. “In some ways, the future looks brighter than it did a year ago.”
