TIDAL POWER SOLUTIONS

Power from
Alstom is committed to providing a flexible portfolio of reliable, competitive renewable technologies and is now making significant investments in ocean energy technologies, including tidal stream turbines.
Alstom, as a leading global power systems business, is at the forefront of the development of tidal technologies bringing a proven, reliable and efficient technology to the market that embodies a low-cost Operation and Maintenance (O&M) solution. With tides being predictable well into the future, the opportunity for us all to benefit from tidal energy is enormous.

Reliable Predictable Proven

Tidal power is a major growth area, with a global potential of up to 100 GW installed capacity. Tidal power has the potential to contribute significantly to the future energy mix of many countries wanting to benefit from renewable, low-carbon forms of electricity generation. The need is immediate. Renewable energy targets now exist in 118 countries, nine countries including India and Brazil having introduced new targets in 2011 and China having increased its target for power from renewable sources by the end of 2015. In Europe, the EU has set 2020 as the year by which 20 per cent of member states energy should come from renewable resources. In the UK meanwhile, the Climate Change Act requires a legally-binding reduction of at least 80 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Why tidal?
Tidal energy can be harnessed in two ways. Tidal range technology uses a barrage to draw on the power of the water as it changes height between high tide and low tide in a similar way to a hydroelectric system. Tidal stream technology (or marine current) draws on the power of fast currents caused by tides flowing around headlands or through channels. Both offer the same benefits of tidal energy: I  t is reliable and predictable well into the future W  ater is 800 times denser than air, which gives it huge potential for power extraction I  t is a renewable energy source with no harmful greenhouse emissions

Locations with the most potential for tidal energy

Source: Danish Hydraulic Institute Institute Work Commissioned Atlantis Source: Danish Hydraulic Work for Commissioned for Atlantis

Southern Alaska, USA Vancouver Island, Canada

Pentland Firth, Scotland Anglesey, Wales Bay of Fundy, USA Raz Blanchard, France Mospo, South Korea Kyushu, Japan Incheon, South Korea Zhoushan Shanghi, China Mumbai, India Bernardino Strait, Philippines Sawa Sawaga, Papua New Guinea Canales de Guimaraes, Brazil San Antonio, Argentina Thursday Island, Australia King Sound, Australia Cook Strait/Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand

the tides

2005/2006

Development of the Tidal Generation Ltd. (TGL) tidal stream technology begins, with a concept design study for the turbine technology.

2012

The 500 kW turbine completed its test programme having successfully exported 250 MWh of power to the Scottish grid.

2008 The 500

kW turbine receives its Type C Design Assessment certification from GL Renewables.

2013 Following our

2010 Trials of a

500 kW tidal stream turbine demonstrator begin at the EMEC facility in Orkney averaging 12 hours of operation each day, demonstrating extended running at rated power as tides allowed. The 500 kW tidal turbine became the only tidal device to receive Scottish Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC).

acquisition of TGL, trials begin of the commercial scale 1 MW demonstration turbine installed at the same EMEC facility in Orkney. Detailed testing and analysis will continue throughout 2013/14 and lessons learned will be transferred into the final commercial design.

2014/2016

Construction of a 4-10 MW pre-commercial array using the Alstom 1 MW turbine. This array will help our business, our customers and the supply chain build an understanding of the challenges of delivering and connecting an array of turbines and lay the foundations for commercial arrays.

2016 and beyond

During testing of the pre-commercial array, we will prepare for full commercial production of the Alstom tidal stream turbines. We will then look forward to investigating the potential for larger, more powerful tidal stream turbines using the technology that we have successfully trialed up to this point.

Delivering tidal
Following our acquisition of Bristol-based Tidal Generation Ltd (TGL) in 2013, we are developing a proven tidal stream turbine technology with a unique low-cost O&M solution. We have dedicated teams in Nantes (France) and Bristol (UK) that are developing tidal technology and look forward to bringing this product to market.
Composite blades Main gearbox Main shaft Hub Inspection hatch Nacelle Thruster

Electrical skid Buoyant nose Stab mechanism Yaw clamp

A proven solution
Alstoms turbine nacelle consists of a 3-bladed, upstream pitch controlled rotor with an epicyclic gearbox, induction generator, frequency converter and transformer. The turbine exports grid compliant power at 6.6kV via a three-phase wet mate connector mounted in the base of the turbine. This configuration is analogous to a wind turbine subsea. By subjecting our tidal stream turbine to an intensive testing programme in a real and representative test site (EMEC), we are ensuring that our technology has the capability to perform reliably generating clean energy, year after year.

Pitch gearboxes Tube containing cable to shore

Foundation structure

Water speed at rated power Cut-in velocity Maximum operating water speed

2.7 m/s (18m diameter turbine) 1 m/s 5 m/s

Power exported via subsea cable to grid at 6.6 kV

technology today
Driving down the cost of electricity
The challenge for the emerging tidal stream power generation industry over the next decade is to increase the scale, prove the reliability, demonstrate environmental acceptability and reduce the costs of the technology to ensure electricity can be generated at a commercially competitive price.

Key benefits
RAPID TURBINE DEPLOYMENT AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM The turbine can be rapidly installed or uninstalled, maximising the time it spends producing electricity and minimising the cost of deployment and maintenance to its operator. We achieve this by making the turbine buoyant. It can be towed to its point of operation and once on site it uses a patented system to winch the nacelle down to its seabed support structure and lock it in place. Simple and efficient, the system avoids the need for high cost heavy-lift vessels and for divers. Due to the unique challenges of installing and retrieving a turbine in a tidal environment Alstom firmly believes that the buoyant nacelle provides the lowest risk and most flexible O&M solution. YAWING NACELLE Tidal streams do not always turn through 180 degrees. As the tide turns, four times each day, the turbine turns with it positioning itself to face directly into the flow. This helps maximise energy extraction and minimise structural loads and wake effects. PITCHING BLADE TECHNOLOGY The technology permits an optimum hydrodynamic design of the blades (for maximum energy extraction) and enables the machine to counteract power and speed fluctuations caused by waves and turbulence. Furthermore pitching blades allow the maximum power to be controlled, the maximum thrust load to be limited and safe shutdown to be achieved under extreme conditions. Alstom recognises that one turbine does not make an array and we are now developing solutions for subsea power connection and transmission, incorporating the same low-cost O&M philosophy as the turbine.

INTELLIGENT NACELLES thrusters intelligently rotate the nacelle to reflect the direction of the For more than 100 years, Alstom has been a leading force in hydropower having tide, managing ebb and flood tides seamlessly and installed more than of turbines andmaximising generators around 25% of the total SIMPLE, EFFICIENT TO450GW INSTALL AND energy production MAINTAIN the nacelle buoyancy means that our experience and global network, we offer global hydro power capacity. Leveraging it is easily installed and retrieved in a single tidal EFFICIENT BLADES turbine blade pitch is unique solutions based on proven state-of-the-art technology and project-specific cycle using small vessels, reducing installation and actively managed to control load on the turbine research and development (R&D). maintenance costs and optimise use of the tidal conditions locally

Why Alstoms tidal stream turbine?

An integrated approach to generating power

A Partnership for Performance
When you choose Alstom as your Original Equipment Manufacturer, engineering, procurement and construction partner or operation and maintenance (O&M) provider, you are buying into a wealth of energy know-how and experience. The long-term performance potential of a tidal array is only partially determined at the manufacturing and construction stages. The best design and construction will be of little benefit if O&M is not fully optimised. That is why Alstom operates a global network of local service centres and offers a full range of O&M contracts, packages and services.

Alstom Operation and Maintenance strategies aim to:

Maximise availability Enhance maintainability Improve energy generation Optimise component and system lifetime
The key to achieving these goals lies in system and component optimisation, effective planned maintenance and suitable upgrades and retrofits. In accordance with our clean power strategy, we always consider profitability and commercial excellence in the wider context of environmental, as well as health and safety considerations.

From Generation to Transmission

Thanks to 120 years of expertise and continuous R&D, Alstom is a major player in the evolving power transmission industry. Our expertise encompasses all aspects of a tidal arrays electrical system from network consulting, design, project management, products and systems to installation and service. Alstom brings its industry-leading offshore wind transmission experience to the emerging tidal industry.

Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies.

Power generation

Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal, wind, solar thermal, geothermal and ocean energies. Alstom offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids.

Power generation
Alstom Power offers solutions which allow their customers to generate reliable, competitive and eco-friendly power. Alstom has the industrys most comprehensive portfolio of thermal technologies coal, gas, oil and nuclear and holds leading positions in turnkey power plants, power generation services and air quality control systems. It is also a pioneer in carbon capture technologies. Alstom offers the most comprehensive range of renewable power generation solutions today: hydro power, wind power, geothermal, biomass and solar. With ocean energies, we are developing solutions for tomorrow. Alstom is one of the world leaders in hydro power, the largest source of renewable energy on the planet.

Electrical grid

Rail transport

RPW/BPROB/TIDALG13/eng/OCNT/02.13/UK/7879 ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited. Photo credits: ALSTOM and Cyril Abad. Printed on environmentally friendly paper. A PDF version of this brochure is available at: www.alstom.com

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