Verdant Power RITE project deployment, Oct 2020 (Credit Verdant Power)
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has completed the world’s first marine energy Renewable Energy Test Report (RETR) for Verdant Power’s New York tidal power array at the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) site.
During the 39-day test period, over tides, Verdant Power’s turbines performed with over 99% availability and generated 187kW at 2.5m/sec peak flood tide velocity. Overall water-to-wire efficiencies reached over 46%.
The test was also the first United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) ISO/IEC 17025 accredited power performance assessment to be completed by EMEC at a site outside the centre’s own test facilities in Orkney, Scotland.
As a UKAS-accredited test laboratory, EMEC followed IEC technical specification ‘62600-200: Electricity producing tidal energy converters – power performance assessment’. EMEC reviewed all test and data collection equipment as well as overseeing the deployment of current profilers to measure water speeds. The electrical power output of each turbine was measured and analysed to develop power and efficiency curves for the turbines.
Power and resource data were measured for a period of 39 days of continuous operation. The data was processed and quality controlled by EMEC using the company’s in-house Integrated Metocean Processing, Analysis and Quality Control Tool (IMPAQCT) and the performance was analysed using EMEC’s Tidal Power Performance Tool (TPPT). COVID-19 restrictions required the extensive use of computer and video security measures.
Verdant Power RITE project deployment, Oct 2020 (Credit Verdant Power)
