Tidal Alliance

Three leading tidal developers have joined forces as a Tidal Alliance at OEE2020, to show the world that tidal is ready for the main stage: Orbital Marine Power, SABELLA and Sustainable Marine Energy.

Europe leads the way in tidal energy globally, with European developers transforming the technology into a mainstream power source.

Scottish based Orbital Marine Power has established itself as the leader of innovative tidal stream engineering, having pioneered a unique floating turbine solution after over fifteen years of intensive research, development and scale model testing. Credited with developing the technology to transform the future of tidal energy on a global scale, Orbital’s proprietary technology is capable of producing a step-change reduction in the cost of energy from tidal currents.

Currently in construction is the Orbital O2 tidal turbine, which will be the world’s most powerful tidal turbine and is due to be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre’s Fall of Warness tidal test site in Orkney, in 2021. Click here for an in-depth visualisation of the O2.

Founded in 2008, SABELLA is a French pioneering tidal turbine developer. The technology is composed of a horizontal axis rotor installed on a gravity-based structure laying on the seabed.

Full-scale D10-1000 demonstrator was successfully installed in 2015 in the Fromveur Passage. The 1 MW tidal turbine was grid-connected to Ushant Island to supply electricity to the 800 inhabitants of this off-grid area.

Since 2015, SABELLA has optimized and validated the electrical and mechanical performances of its 1-MW full-scale turbine, in harsh real-sea conditions. Now, the company is working on the design and construction of the first commercial tidal arrays in France, thanks to PHARES project, that will be the continuation of D10 demonstrator in Ushant.
In parallel, Sabella is also involved in TIGER experimental program in the Gulf of Morbihan and has recently built a new partnership with Scottish developer Nova Innovation, for exciting future oversea projects.

Sustainable Marine is a leading marine renewables solutions provider. Founded in 2012, it delivers a complete turnkey solution for marine energy projects including site evaluation, design, engineering, operation and maintenance services.

The company also specialises in low-environmental impact, floating tidal energy technology for island and coastal areas. Its next generation PLAT-I (PLATform for Inshore energy) system offers a clean alternative to diesel and coal, empowering local communities to decarbonise, protect coastlines and livelihoods while driving greater energy resilience. The innovative, smaller-scale, modular design is the first of its kind in the world, allowing developers to easily assemble on site and increase projects in controlled stages, creating larger arrays. “