UK companies welcome UK-Canada tidal research grants

Five British companies are celebrating after they received grant funding from the Government’s innovation experts at Innovate UK to develop tidal energy projects with Canadian businesses and universities.

As reported earlier today, grants in the amount of £700.000 have been awarded for two projects that aim to help governments, industry and academia better understand how tidal technology and the environment affect each other.

The first project involving UK-based FloWave TT, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), and Ocean Array Systems alongside British Columbia-based Dalhousie University, Black Rock Tidal Power and project leader Rockland Scientific aims to develop news sensor system to measure the impact of turbulence on tidal devices.

Stuart Brown, Chief Executive Officer at FloWave said: “Our test tank is uniquely capable of replicating both EMEC and the Bay of Fundy at scale and the prospect of new instrumentation, data and analysis techniques that will help the industry better understand and address the challenge of turbulence in the tidal flow, particularly around structures and within projects, is to be welcomed. We very much look forward to working with our Canadian and UK partners over the next three years to help drive this industry forward on both sides of the Atlantic, and globally too.”

Oliver Wragg, Commercial Director at EMEC, commented: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with FloWave, Rockland, Black Rock Tidal Power and Ocean Array Systems on this project, which will address some of the shortcomings of existing measurement technologies, enabling developers to better evaluate the dynamic behaviours of the sites in which they plan to deploy tidal energy turbines. If this can be designed into the technologies earlier on, it should reduce risk in the latter stages of development and testing at EMEC.”

Nicola Pearson, Commercial Director at Ocean Array Systems, added: “Ocean Array Systems will use its EnvironmentStudio and TurbineGrid software to model device-turbulence interaction using test tank and ocean data. This work will provide turbine developers with a direct translation of unsteady loads between conditions at FloWave and those experienced at full scale under turbulent marine conditions.”

This project has recently received the internationally recognized EUREKA Label designation. EUREKA is an EU-based intergovernmental network with associate member nations, including Canada, and supports market oriented R&D and innovation projects. The label will add value to the project, providing partners with a competitive edge when it comes to commercialising technology, EMEC’s press release reads.

The second project involving UK-based Tritech International, Ocean Sonics, and SMRU’s UK and Canada divisions in partnership with Nova Scotia-based OpenHydro Canada, Acadia University and project leaders Emera will develop an acoustic sensing system to improve the detection and tracking of fish and marine mammals at tidal sites in the Bay of Fund.

Commenting on the announcement, Scott McLay, Sales Director at Tritech International, developers of acoustic technology, said: “We are very pleased to be part of this leading-edge project within the expanding renewables industry. Tritech has extensive subsea acoustic expertise and this project allows for further enhancements to a system which already successfully helps classify and track a range of subsea targets.”

SMRU Consulting issued a press release in connection with the grant stating: “We’re confident that the talent and expertise of our UK and Canadian teams will help solve some of the challenges associated with tidal energy and look forward to collaborating on this project for the next three years.”

Image: FloWave TT