Faced with the climate emergency, the quest for new sources of renewable energy is intensifying. If wind and solar power take center stage, the sea also hides colossal potential, reports the American magazine Fast Company. Tidal energy, still little exploited, is now in the news thanks to a Scottish technological feat: the record longevity of the turbines of the MeyGen project.
Off the coast of the Pentland Firth, a strait renowned for its powerful currents, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea, four giant turbines plunged 40 meters below the surface have been rotating tirelessly for more than six years. Their mission? Transform the comings and goings of the tides into electricity and prove that this technology can compete with the most advanced renewable energies.
And we turn the turbines
Maintaining huge turbines in a hostile marine environment is no easy task. However, one of them has just passed the milestone of six and a half years of operation without unscheduled maintenance, a feat hailed by professionals in the sector. This record reassures investors and decision-makers. The commercial viability of tidal energy is no longer a distant dream, but a tangible reality.
According to experts, marine energy – from tides, currents and waves – is the largest untapped renewable resource on Earth. The MeyGen project, with its four turbines of 1.5 megawatts each, already supplies up to 7,000 homes per year. But this is only the beginning, ambitious plans call for the addition of twenty additional turbines by 2030. Ultimately, perhaps 130 turbines could be installed. Enough to transform the region into a real “green” powerhouse.
If Scotland and the United Kingdom are today at the forefront of tidal energy, the path to mass adoption remains strewn with pitfalls: regulations, environmental impacts, cohabitation with other users of the sea such as fishermen… The example of the MeyGen project has already raised a doubt, that of the solidity of these systems: yes, turbines can survive and produce sustainably in the tumultuous waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
MeyGen is not only a technical achievement, it is a strong signal for the energy transition. By proving the robustness and cost-effectiveness of its turbines, Scotland is paving the way for a future where tidal energy could play a major role in the global energy mix.
