Louth-based OpenHydro have announced an agreement with French energy supplier EDF to build two new pilot tidal energy turbines at Paimpol-Bréhat in Brittany to be operational in 2015.
The decision to build the two new tidal farms comes after the previously successful testing of the tidal turbine L’Arcouest in real conditions between December 2013 and April 2014 at the Paimpol-Bréhat site.
According to the EDF’s figures, the tests demonstrated the performance of the tidal turbine developed by OpenHydro and validated the principle of the 16-metre diameter prototype, a necessary step before the deployment of this and future pilot farms.
It is envisaged that the two new turbines to be installed on the Paimpol-Bréhat site from 2015 will benefit from the feedback of studies conducted on components of the prototype L’Arcouest.
These second-generation turbines, with optimised design and performance, will then be adapted for series production to support future calls for tenders for commercial farms.
Both EDF and OpenHydro believe this pilot phase will pave the way for the deployment from 2016 of pre-commercial farms and the development of a tidal energy industrial sector in France.
Thierry Kalanquin, executive chairman of OpenHydro and director of DCNS Marine Energy and Infrastructure Division said of the announcement: “We are pleased with this announcement, which confirms the performance of the innovative tidal turbine technology developed by OpenHydro. We are eager to begin this new phase of our collaboration with EDF in order to contribute to the development of the tidal energy industry.”
Tidal energy image via Shutterstock