(BBC) ‘Most powerful’ tidal turbine starts generating electricity off Orkney

A tidal-powered turbine, which its makers say is the most powerful in the world, has started to generate electricity via the grid in Orkney.

The Orbital O2 has the capacity to meet the annual electricity demand of 2,000 homes for the next 15 years.

In May, it was sailed out of Dundee, where it was assembled over 18 months.

The 680-tonne turbine is now anchored in the Fall of Warness where a subsea cable connects the 2MW offshore unit to the local onshore electricity network.

Orbital Marine Power said its first commercial turbine, which will be powered by the fast-flowing waters, is a “major milestone”.

It is also providing power to an onshore electrolyser to generate green hydrogen.

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Posted in --Scotland, Ecology, Energy, Natural Resources, Science & Technology