Underwater Turbines | Green Energy News

June 15, 2003 – Vol.8 No.12

UNDERWATER TURBINES.

Here’s a prediction. Someday a wind turbine company will begin building ocean current turbines. The technology is similar, but the fluid is quite different of course.

Marine Current Turbines (MCT) now has a tidal current turbine installed in waters off the U.K. The 300-kilowatt turbine with its 11 meter long blade is to become a test bed for further turbine development and will be connected to the grid by August.

The company thinks tidal energy can supply at least 10 gigawatts of power to the U.K. and that there would be little of the opposition to tidal energy seen with offshore wind. Only a small portion of the devices would be above the waves and wouldn’t be seen from shore. The turbines spin at only 20 revolutions per minute so as not to harm fish as they pass through the propeller-like blades. Visit MCT at http://www.marineturbines.com/ .