Sabella’s D10 tidal turbine breaks power production record

Business Developments & Projects

October 10, 2023, by Amir Garanovic

French company Sabella has broken the power production record with its D10 tidal energy turbine, generating over 25% of the total electricity consumed on Ushant Island by harnessing the energy of the tides.

Illustration/Sabella’s D10 tidal turbine (Courtesy of Sabella)

Since its commissioning in the Fromveur Passage offshore Ushant Island in France in April 2022, Sabella’s D10 tidal turbine reached several milestones when it comes to the power produced by exploiting the energy of the tides.

The latest one was achieved at the end of September 2023, when the turbine managed to generate on average over 25% of the electricity consumed on Ushant Island thanks to the high water velocities of the spring tides.

According to the company, on several instances the power production exceeded 50% of total power in the island’s energy mix.

“Well done D10, and well done to the technical team whose expertise ensures reliable and predictable power production. It’s another step towards energy independence for Ushant Island,” Sabella said in a statement.

The injection of power to the Ushant island's grid from Sabella's D10 tidal turbine (Courtesy of Sabella) — *The injection of power to the Ushant island’s grid from Sabella’s D10 tidal turbine (Courtesy of Sabella)*

The 1MW-rated turbine started exporting power to the grid around June 2022, initially starting with 100kW, that would later be increased to reach the maximum injection capacity allowed by the electricity network of the island.

The demonstration represents the third long-term test campaign Sabella is conducting offshore the island.

The latest one is aimed at preparing the island for the PHARES project, which will enable the deployment of a multi-source energy system by pooling three renewable energy technologies together to demonstrate a hybrid island energy model.

The project will see the installation of two Sabella’s 500kW tidal energy turbines, together with close to 1MW-rated wind turbine, and a 480kW photovoltaic solar park.

Also, an energy storage system will be installed as part of the project that foresees the penetration of up to 65% of renewable energies in the electricity production of Ushant Island, following its completion.

In October 2022, the residents of the island located at the southwestern end of the English Channel consumed more electricity produced from tidal energy than from the fossil fuel-powered generators for the first time in their history – getting a glimpse of what could a fully decarbonized electricity supply of the island look like in the future.