Schottel lines up tidal blades for PLAT-I delivery

Schottel Hydro is finalizing the preparations for the delivery of four of its SIT 250 tidal turbines to Sustainable Marine Energy for the PLAT-I tidal platform.

The German-based manufacturer of tidal turbines Schottel Hydro said the turbines underwent successful factory acceptance testing of their power take-off (PTO) and containerized power conversion systems.

The turbines are currently being prepared in Schottel Hydro’s facilities in Germany ahead of their shipping to Scotland, where they will be mounted on Sustainable Marine Energy’s integrated surface floating tidal platform solution known as the PLAT-I.

The PLAT-I will be deployed for trials in Connel Sound, off the coast of Strathylde in Scotland, later this year, according to Ralf Starzmann, Sales Director and Head of Hydrodinamics at Schottel Hydro.

Once the testing in Scotland is completed, the PLAT-I platform will be shipped to a demonstration site off Singapore, it was announced earlier by the developers.

The PLAT-I device has been designed to float on the surface of the water while hosting four Schottel’s SIT 250 turbines, with the total capacity of 268kW.

It is meant for deployment in less aggressive tidal sites to enable the exploitation of a greater number of locations to support island communities, according to Schottel Hydro.

Sustainable Marine Energy is UK-based marine engineering company which developed the PLAT-I platform with the support from the Scottish government with the aim of bringing a cost-effective solution to the tidal energy market.