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Taking Tidal Energy Technology to the Next Level

From innovation to implementation, the process of developing viable tidal energy technologies has proved to be an intriguing task. The marine energy industry has had to come up with answers to a variety of challenges, quite a few of them for which there hadn'st been any precedent.

As the cream of the tidal energy industry gears up to congregate for the 3rd International Tidal Energy Summit 2009 in London this year (November 17-18), a lot can be expected from this conference especially at this critical juncture. http://www.tidaltoday.com/ITES/2

There have been mixed views regarding the progress made by tidal technology developers. On the one hand, tidal energy technology benefits from predictable currents and siting in shallow nearshore waters; on the other, it still needs to combat challenges pertaining to its cost and compete with more established sources of energy.

Even as the prototypes of various technologies or devices emerge in the marketplace, the deployment of such devices is still at an early stage with only a few devices having been deployed, says Richard Parkinson, company director, Mojo Maritime Ltd.

Parkinson, who is scheduled to speak at the conference, feels at this stage, there are only a few developers who can benefit from lessons learned from tidal projects that have already been deployed thus far.

It is fair to say that the learning curve has been steep, said Parkinson.

Parkinson, who is scheduled to speak about tidal device installation and deployment, says there are various strategies being developed for improving cost, reducing risk and improving accessibility. These include:

> Development of purpose built installation vessels to ensure availability, reduce installation cost (with quantum installations), reduce project risk and develop a more complete package to attract investment

> Development of foundation technology and techniques for deployment in tidal races

> Research on installation of sub sea cables and protection from Vibration Induced Vortex effects

> Developments of coatings and protection systems to achieve 20-year design life

In general, tidal device developers hold high value on the perceived value of their intellectual property and as such there is limited opportunity in developing research that will benefit the collective industry, said Parkinson.

The key challenge in operating in tidal race environments is the high project risk associated with short operating windows and the cost and availability of suitable equipment.

During the current phase of projects where single prototypes are being deployed the options for installation are restricted to modification of existing vessels and equipment which are not necessarily designed to operate in this environment.

The mooring of the installation vessel is a major challenge as most tidal sites have heavily scoured seabed which are either weathered rock or heavy boulders - not ideal for deployment of drag embedment anchors commonly used in most offshore installation projects, says Parkinson.

In addition, environmental restrictions pose another major challenge to the industry especially as many energetic tidal development sites are situated in environmentally sensitive areas that have been designated as Sites of Special Interest.

All these issues and more are set to be discussed during the 3rd International Tidal Energy Summit 2009.

The two-day conference has already received confirmation from the best in the business in the wake of growing interest in this sector. The speaker line-up includes:

> Martin Wright, Managing Director, Marine Current Turbines

> James Ives, Chief Executive, Open Hydro

> Timothy Cornellius, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantis Resources Corporation

For more information, click here:

http://www.tidaltoday.com/ITES/2

or Contact: Abbie Badcock on 44 (0)207 375 7581

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