A significant milestone in renewable energy has been reached, as systems at the MeyGen tidal energy project in Scotland’s Pentland Firth have set a new global record for continuous power generation. This breakthrough marks a pivotal moment for tidal stream technology, demonstrating its long-term reliability and commercial viability.
The MeyGen Project: A Beacon of Tidal Power
The MeyGen project, recognized as the world’s largest tidal stream array, is situated in Scotland’s Pentland Firth, a strait known for its powerful tidal currents. Operated by SAE Renewables, the project has been at the forefront of developing utility-scale tidal stream arrays for over a decade. The recent achievement involves cutting-edge technology delivered by SKF in collaboration with Proteus Marine Renewables, highlighting the importance of partnerships in advancing renewable energy solutions.
Setting a New Global Benchmark for Reliability
The core of this breakthrough lies in the remarkable operational endurance of the tidal turbines. SKF announced that their systems have run continuously for over six years at 1.5 megawatts (MW) without requiring any unplanned or disruptive maintenance. This sustained performance, with turbines in continuous operation since 2018, establishes a new standard for reliability and performance in the demanding subsea environment. The ability to operate for such extended periods without intervention is crucial for validating the commercial viability of tidal energy on a global scale.
Overcoming the Challenges of the Ocean Environment
A persistent challenge for the tidal stream energy sector has been designing turbines capable of operating reliably underwater for prolonged durations. The harsh marine conditions, including saltwater corrosion and powerful currents, can significantly compromise components. This record-setting operation at MeyGen directly addresses this hurdle, proving that a condition-based maintenance strategy can enable equipment to run for over six years between overhauls. This achievement is a testament to the robust engineering and innovative solutions employed by SKF and Proteus Marine Renewables, who believe their approach has been validated by the MeyGen pathfinder array, which was commissioned in 2017 as a blueprint for utility-scale tidal stream projects.
The Predictable Power of Tides and its Economic Promise
Tidal energy stands out among renewable resources due to its inherent predictability. Unlike solar or wind power, which are subject to weather variability, tidal flows are governed by the gravitational forces of the moon and sun, making them highly consistent and forecastable. This predictability allows tidal energy to serve as a reliable source of baseload power, complementing other intermittent renewables.
The long-term operation record at MeyGen is expected to significantly boost confidence in the economic potential of tidal energy. The global tidal energy market, valued at approximately €1.1 billion in 2023, is projected to expand to around €6.9 billion over the next seven years. Furthermore, with declining costs, tidal stream energy is anticipated to become cost-competitive with nuclear energy by 2035. This growing sector is also poised to contribute significantly to economies, with projections indicating it could generate up to £17 billion and 15,000 jobs in the UK alone by 2050.
Future Expansion and Broader Impact
Building on this success, there are ambitious plans for the MeyGen project and the broader tidal energy sector. SKF is set to contribute to a minimum 59 MW addition to the existing 6 MW pilot array, with intentions for further substantial scaling through 2025 and beyond. Proteus Marine Renewables aims to install at least 30 larger 3-megawatt turbines in Scotland, France, and Japan over the five years starting from 2026, each capable of powering approximately 3,000 homes.
This breakthrough strengthens the global commitment to tidal stream technologies, with targets such as deploying 1 gigawatt (GW) of tidal stream energy in the UK by 2035, sufficient to power around 829,000 homes.
A History of Milestones in Tidal Energy
The MeyGen project has consistently pushed the boundaries of tidal energy. In February 2023, it became the first tidal stream array worldwide to generate 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean electricity over its lifespan, an amount exceeding the total global generation from all other tidal devices and sites combined at that time. Earlier, in 2019, the MeyGen array also achieved the longest uninterrupted generation period from a multi-megawatt tidal turbine installation, exporting energy equivalent to the annual consumption of about 3,800 UK homes. These cumulative achievements underscore MeyGen’s role as a vital global prototype, providing invaluable performance data to inform future projects and accelerate the industry’s growth.
The achievement of six years of uninterrupted power generation at MeyGen signifies a critical turning point for tidal energy, moving it from a promising technology to a proven, reliable, and economically viable component of the global renewable energy mix.
