Atlantis flicks switch on giant 1MW tidal turbine

Scotland's first grid-connected, commercial-scale tidal turbine came online last week when Atlantis Resources Corporation flicked the switch on its AR1000 device at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

The 1MW capacity, three-blade turbine stands 22.5 metres high and has an 18 metre rotor diameter, making it one of the largest marine turbines ever built.

It will be tested for two years in the waters off Orkney before being deployed in Scotland's Pentland Firth.

Atlantis has a 10 per cent stake in MeyGen, a joint venture with International Power and investment bank Morgan Stanley, which won the right to develop the Inner Sound site in October last year.

Tim Cornelius, Atlantis chief executive, said that the deployment of the AR1000 represents the culmination of a long development process, including fine-tuning the nacelle from its earlier two-rotor, AK1000 turbine.

"Our business enters the next phase of its evolution in great shape and I want to thank the huge ecosystem of technology partners, suppliers, contractors and industry figureheads who have supported us to date," Cornelius said in a statement.

"We will continue to invest in the AK1000 research and development programme as the supply chain matures, but our customers need commercial reliability and that's what the AR1000 system can give them today."

The AK1000 will soon be joined at EMEC by rival developer Aquamarine Power's Oyster 800. The 800kW wave energy device, which was unveiled last month, is set to be far more efficient that its 315kW predecessor, and Aquamarine plans to fit two more devices off the coast of Orkney in 2012 and 2013.

All three Oysters will eventually form a 2.4MW array linked to an onshore hydro-electric plant, the company said.

The west of Scotland could also see a further marine energy boost after Argyll and Bute council revealed that it is bidding for £20m of government funds to develop the town of Oban as a renewable energy hub.

Council leader Dick Walsh told The Scotsman today that discussions are already underway with renewable energy industry and government representatives, adding that ScottishPower's proposed Argyll Array wind farm off the coast makes Oban the ideal location for a west coast service centre.