Ocean energy about to ride a wave

DWOcean energy about to ride a wave. Tidal and wave energy is a greatly underutilized renewable power source that could be the missing link to a carbon-free future.

Though the Orkney archipelago off the northern Scottish coast is only home to about 22,000 people, it has become a global hub for harnessing a boundless renewable energy source: the ocean.

For two decades, Orkney’s fast-flowing tidal inlets and coastlines battered by ocean swells have been test sites for fledgling wave and tidal stream energy prototypes. More are being expanded and plugged into the UK grid.

One Scottish ocean energy company, Orbital Marine Power, has been testing tidal stream technologies that are ready to go large-scale, including a giant turbine capable of powering over 1,700 homes. With the first “O2” turbine due to be deployed this year at Orkney’s European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), and another to follow in 2023, it is one of several commercial marine energy farms that could contribute up to a fifth of the UK’s power needs.

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