Tidal powered turbines installed off the coast of Shetland (Bluemull Sound) have been connected to the electricity grid and could herald a "new era" in tidal energy.
The first offshore tidal turbines in the world to deliver electricity to the grid have been set-up by the company Nova Innovation (and are owned by the North Yell Development Council).
The two turbines are the first to form part of the Shetland Tidal Array. The 100 kilowatt turbines were part made by a local company called Shetland Composites.
Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of the tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Tidal power is the only technology that draws on energy inherent in the orbital characteristics of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser extent in the Earth–Sun system, given the effect of these celestial bodies on the sea and the creation of tides.
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The devices installed in the Bluemull Sound site have the capacity to power 300 homes on the Scottish islands. They are connected to the local grid via a 1 kilometre submersive sea cable. Bluemull Sound is the strait between Unst and Yell in Shetland's North Isles.
An important aspect to the devices is there predictability, with Nova Innovation stating to the BBC that the turbines will generate to full power across all tidal conditions.
With the grid established, Simon Forrest, managing director of Nova Innovation, stated: "We are absolutely delighted to be the first company in the world to deploy a fully operational tidal array."
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