Three multidisciplinary teams from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Strathclyde will work together on the CoTide (Co-design to deliver scalable tidal stream energy) project, with investment from THE ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL (EPSRC).

“Achieving the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050 requires the decarbonisation of all our energy supplies and a huge expansion of renewable generation from the current 50GW to 120-300GW,” said UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which includes the EPSRC.

“The powerful tides that surround the UK remain under-utilised but have huge potential as a source of greener power that could make a significant contribution to this goal. Plus, unlike the wind and the Sun, tides ebb and flow at predictable times every day, and so have the advantage that they can provide power that is both renewable and reliable.”

The CoTide project will develop integrated engineering tools and solutions, together with concept designs and laboratory demonstrations. Areas of expertise amongst the researchers include rotor materials, device hydrodynamics, composites and environmental modelling.

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Composite tidal turbine blades can now be stress tested at FastBlade, a new facility opened in Rosyth that will speed up the development of marine energy technologies.

In under three months FastBlade – a partnership between The University of Edinburgh and Babcock International Group International – will simulate the stresses placed on their tidal turbine blades during two decades at sea. To do so, Fastblade’s 75-tonne reaction frame will exert powerful forces on turbine blades over 50 feet long via a system of hydraulic cylinders.

In doing so, it will replicate the complex forces to which tidal turbines are exposed at sea using digital and hydraulic technology systems developed by engineers at Edinburgh University.
The facility, funded by EPSRC and Edinburgh University, has received support from Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service, throughout its development.

As well as tidal blades, FastBlade’s technology can also be used to test lightweight bridge sections and aircraft wing components. It is the first facility to open in a recently launched multi-partner innovation centre at Babcock’s Rosyth site.

The Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus (AGIC) will work with companies in the marine, nuclear power and energy-transition sectors to transform large-scale manufacturing through innovation and skills development.

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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.

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The South West is set for a jobs bonanza after The Crown Estate recently announced it wants to generate enough electricity from the Celtic Sea to power four million homes.

It has confirmed that it is looking to unlock 4GW of energy from the Celtic Sea by 2035. That could mean thousands of green energy jobs in Cornwall and the South West by developing the floating wind industry

Crucially, The Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, wants to establish a new industrial sector in the UK.

It said it wants to ensure that the South West, Wales and the wider UK benefit from the opportunity to become a world leader in floating wind technology, with significant new investment in jobs, skills and infrastructure.

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Nova Innovation and SABELLA have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two tidal energy technology companies.