Tocardo’s tidal energy turbines check in to Subhub plaform

The integration of Tocardo’s T1 tidal energy turbines on QED Naval’s Subhub platform has started last week, ahead of the planned deployment in Yarmouth, off the Isle of Wight.

Three T1 tidal energy turbines, rated between 40-100kW, have been successfully transported to Pembroke Dock from Tocardo’s headquarters in the Netherlands.

The works to integrate the turbines on the Subhub platform started immediately after, according to developers.

The full systems integration works will be continued over the coming days at the quayside, as this presents ‘much safer and logistically easier way’ than connecting up tidal turbine systems offshore, the developers said earlier.

The commissioning will be considered complete once the developers perform onshore simulations on the fully equipped platform.

“This has been the culmination of many months of preparation and development of the supporting platform Subhub community demonstrator (CD) coming to the end of its refit Mainstay Marine Solutions. The integration of the T1 turbines has started already.

“We really appreciate the great support the Tocardo team has provided in training QED’s engineers in the assembly and operation of the turbines”, said Jeremy Smith, director of QED Naval.

The T-1 turbines feature smart reverse system which enables them to operate in opposite tidal flows for bi-directional power production.

Once onboard Subhub-CD, the 240kW platform will be deployed later this year for trials as part of the €45.4 million Interreg TIGER project.

The self-deploying foundation system Subhub is a platform designed to support the commissioning, testing, transportation, and installation of an array of wave and tidal turbines.

To remind, early in 2020 QED Naval and HydroWing formed a new collaborative joint venture which acquired Tocardo.

At the time, the tri-partite partnership committed to jointly invest in additional turbine technology development.