Norway-based tidal energy developer, Tidal Sails, is preparing to conduct the final testing of its scale prototype TackReach tidal energy device.
The final trials are scheduled to take place from October 18-20, 2016, in Skjoldastraumen, Norway, Tidal Sails informed.
The scaled TackReach prototype has been under trials since August this year, during which the device delivered the electricity to the grid in several tidal cycles via regional grid operator Haugaland Kraft, according to Tidal Sails.
The scale structure being tested is 8 m long, with the overall weight of 4.2 tonnes.
The device consists of sails with self-adjusting and variable pitch SCS, steel structure supporting the mechanical components, chains, a generator with a rated capacity of 18.5kW that includes 2 gear boxes, and a control system with the required equipment to feed the electricity into the national grid.
It is a two station solution which operates with sails going back and forth – one sail leg is reaching with the current, and the other is tacking up against the current.
During the testing, the special attention was paid to monitoring the wake effect of the reaching sails, and how the tacking sails was influenced as they traveled in the opposite direction at high relative speed.
The full-scale TackReach device will be 500 m long with the rated capacity of 4MW.
It is expected to be deployed in 2017.
Take a look at the video showing the TackReach prototype supplying electricity to the national grid for the first time during testing.