Innovative tidal and ocean power

The world oceans contain a massive amount of kinetic energy ready to be utilized for the production of electricity. Hydra Tidal’s goal is to harness this energy globally.

TIDE. Morild features 4 underwater turbines which can be pitched 180° around to make use of both directions of the tide.

Since the establisment in 2001, the company has been developing a unique floating power plant - Morild for harnessing energy from tidal and ocean currents. Morild is currently being built as a prototype and is due for deployment at Lofoten Islands in 2010.

Technology

The core technology is a floating power plant which can harness an effect up to 1,5 MW at the turbines from low-speed water currents. Standard components from the ship-building industry are used in order to minimize technological risk.

The plant features a patented technology that makes it float while at the same time withstanding high loads. The technology can harness power from ocean currents in a surface position even if the water is deep, as well as harnessing power from tidal currents that shift every 6 hours and 20 minutes.

Morild features 4 underwater turbines which can be pitched 180° around to make use of both directions of the tide. The turbines have a diameter of 22-30 meters depending on the application. Each plant weighs approximately 320 tons and can deliver over 5,5 GWh annually.

Advantages

Morild can deliver green energy from a renewable source; gravity. We call it planetary power and it is indeed renewable because the Earth’s rotation around the Sun and the Moon’s rotation around the Earth will exist for millions of years. Morild can be towed by boat (e.g. into dry dock if needed) and may be tested at different locations without costly seabed installation.

Morild has powerful advantages over other technologies:

• lower installation and maintenance costs because it floats
• effective harnessing of energy from ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream
• turbine blades made out of glued wood, which are very durable and environmentally friendly

An interesting aspect of any renewable technology is its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Hydra Tidal has done a preliminary LCA, measuring CO2 emissions from production, assembly, transport, maintenance and disposal over Morild’s life span. The CO2 emissions were found to be only 11,1 g / kWh, a little lower than that of on-shore wind power and significantly lower than solar (photovoltaic) power.

Visit the Hydra Tidal website

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