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Scottish tidal energy has kept a underwater turbine spinning for 6 years (apnews.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/climate@slrpnk.net
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Submerged in about 40 meters (44 yards) of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years....

The MeyGen tidal energy project off the coast of Scotland has four turbines producing 1.5 megawatts each, enough electricity collectively to power up to 7,000 homes annually.

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[–] 17 points 1 year ago (4 children)

This is true, but I think the big thing is that this lasted as long as it did. Material science is important, and if we want Io scale these up for more general use we need to make sure they can at least survive.

Thanks to the power of two, a larger diameter blade could capture a lot more energy, and might be put in places with lesser tidal bores.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    The problem is not that there isn't enough tidal power. The problem is that the pentland firth is both fast enough and deep enough. Orkney alone probably has enough tidal power to serve all of Scotland's needs, but most of the tide races are no more than 5 meters deep. The meygen turbine has a 18 m diameter so it's hard to find places that can support it in a way that doesn't pose a danger for surface vessels but also has a current fast enough to generate a meaningful amount of electricity.

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