The UK government is investing £800,000 in tidal energy pioneer Nova Innovation, through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, to develop a low-cost, rapid turbine deployment and recovery solution that could unlock 100GW of tidal energy resources worldwide.
The CREATE (Cost REduction Acceleration in Tidal Energy) project from Nova Innovation (Nova) aims to slash the operation and maintenance costs of tidal energy in remote areas, accelerating the sector towards commercial reality.
The Scottish-based company is developing an innovative tidal turbine deployment and recovery system that can be used by a wide range of vessels, including fishing boats and harbour work boats.
The system will allow tidal turbines to be transported from the shore before being lowered into position on the seabed. It will also retrieve the turbines, making routine maintenance quicker and easier. This will make the process of deploying and maintaining tidal turbines more accessible to coastal communities across the globe.