World's most powerful tidal turbine designed to harvest tidal energy much cheaper than dam-style installations

Scotland's Orbital Marine Power has launched a tidal (or tidal) turbine most powerful in the world of 2 MW and 680 tons, starting its journey to transfer from the port of Dundee to the River Tay using a submersible barge. The launch marks the completion of construction on the turbine, which will be towed to the Orkney Islands, where it will start operating before connecting to the European Marine Energy Center and revolutionizing the world of renewable energy.

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Solar energy is a key part of the energy mix that will push us towards zero carbon emissions – but lunar energy could have a role to play too. As the moon's gravity pulls towards the Earth's surface, it pulls large amounts of water out of the ocean around the globe in predictable patterns. Where this water is forced through narrow gaps or around headwaters, it accelerates, and it is possible Harvest the kinetic energy of this mass of water using turbines under the surface of the ocean. This is called tidal power.

O2 turbine has the capacity to generate clean electricity for 2000 UK homes

Orbital's approach is aimed at keeping costs as low as possible. It uses floating turbines, installed in channels that accelerate tidal flows. These turbine platforms are anchored to the ocean floor at four points using extremely strong currents, meaning subsea work to install them is fast, cheap and minimal.

Construction of the O2 turbine started in the second half of 2019 and 80% of it is made with materials produced in the UK. From Scottish steel and conventional manufacturing to anchors in Wales and spades in southern England, the construction of the O2 is estimated to have sustained more than 80 jobs in the UK economy.

O2 has the capacity to generate enough clean and predictable electricity to meet the demand of around 2.000 UK households and offset approximately 2.200 tonnes of CO2 production per year.

Most powerful tidal (or tidal) turbine in the world of 2 MW and 680 tons

As for the claim of Orbital that the O2 will be the “most powerful operating turbine in the world”, well, that claim probably needs further qualification. Each of the Rance station's 24 turbines peak at 10 MW and average 2.375 MW over a year. Each of the 10 turbines at the Lake Sihwa facility is rated at 25,4 MW and averages 6,3 MW, producing around 55 GWh per year towards a total of 550 GWh for the facility.

So maybe O2 is the most powerful floating turbine, or the most powerful tidal turbine not connected to a dam system, but it seems to us that the strange asterisk is necessary next to this statement.