Irish company DesignPro has selected the SEENEOH tidal test site in France to trial its 25kW hydrokinetic turbine.
The turbine will be deployed at SEENEOH site, located on the Garonne River in Bordeaux, for a 12-month period, starting in April 2018.
The testing phase will look at durability, wear-and-tear analysis, fish impact assessments, environmental impact, certified power curve generation, and operation and maintenance procedures to prepare the turbine for the market entry.
Paul Collins , DesignPro’s Managing Director, said: “Having our test site for the 25kw device confirmed means we can now move ahead with finalizing the device design and start building. We look forward to a valuable and positive working relationship that we hope will open doors for further opportunities and partnerships in France.”
The 25kW device, which will be unveiled in March 2018, will be able to power up to 20 Irish homes, according to SEENEOH.
It will undergo initial tow tests in Limerick Docks before being finalized and shipped to France for next year’s deployment.
The building and testing of the device has been supported with €2.7 million of EU Horizon 2020 funding, secured by DesignPro in March 2017.
DesignPro added it is currently researching potential deployment sites for its larger 60kW device which is scheduled to begin testing in July 2018 under the same Horizon 2020-funded project.
Marlène Kiersnowski , Manager of SEENEOH, added: “This second user, arriving 4 months after the first one, confirms the reality of the international market for tidal. We are very proud to support the tidal industry through the testing we supply to a very motivated and impressive Irish team.”
To remind, the first of four total SEENEOH tidal testing berths has already been taken by French developer HydroQuest , which will test four bi-directional turbines with the capacity of 80kW on a 50-tonne floating testing barge.
The SEENEOH test site became fully operationa l in March 2017, when the final testing berth was connected to the grid.
The site features three testing berths designed to trial tidal devices with either mounted or floating fixation type, along with the 250kW connection to the onshore substation.