The first of three 100kV turbines which form part of the Shetland Tidal Array project has started providing power to the local electricity grid following a successful winter of testing.
The £3.75 million pound project, one of the world’s first in-sea tidal arrays, is a joint venture between Edinburgh-based Nova Innovation and the Belgian renewable energy firm ELSA.
As part of phase one a further two M100 turbines will be deployed to the array, which lies on the seabed of Bluemull Sound between the archipelago's northernmost islands of Yell and Unst. Two further turbines are set to be deployed to the 0.5MW array in following phases. The project has received £1.9m in grant and loan funding from Scottish Enterprise.
ELSA managing director Olivier Bontems said the firm’s involvement was driven by “confidence in the Scottish tidal industry and the generation of clean energy to enable economic growth.”
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