Orkney tidal test facility set to make waves 
16/05/2007
Tidal energy information will be gathered from the European Marine Energy Centre’s (EMEC) purpose-built open-sea test facilities in Orkney thanks to a system developed by Scottish IT firm Real Time Engineering.
Real Time’s tidal supervision system, due for completion by the end of 2007, builds on the technology used by the company when it built its original data gathering and transmission system for the wave site in 2004. The new, combined system enables the gathering of wave state and tidal current data, device electrical performance data and weather parameters, including wind speed and direction, precipitation and temperature.
Real Time’s Robert McSaveney said: “We were delighted to have been selected to work on this project. This contract further underlines our leading position in the development of systems to support the generation of renewables.”
EMEC, established in 2004, supports the evolution of marine energy devices from the prototype stage to the commercial market place. The organisation is funded by a group of public sector organisations including the Scottish Executive, The Highlands and Islands Enterprise, The Carbon Trust, The Department of Trade and Industry and the European Union.
Neil Kermode of EMEC said: “Being at the forefront of marine energy development, we need to ensure that we have the facilities for developers to test their devices in unrivalled marine conditions. Utilising Real Time’s expertise was essential for us to ensure comprehensive round the clock monitoring of test conditions.”
The existing EMEC wave site was the first in the world to facilitate the generation of marine energy for the National Grid using Pelamis, developed by Edinburgh-based Ocean Power Delivery.
Tidal energy is generated by the interaction of earth, moon and sun gravitational fields. |