Scottish energy innovators win €2.5M to turn up the tempo of tidal power
TIDAL titans Nova Innovation have won €2.5 million to build an upscaled tidal energy turbine that will further slash the cost of tidal power and meet the needs of utility clients and coastal populations around the world.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Fund will finance Nova’s UpTEMPO (Upscaling Tidal Energy Manufacturing and Production Output) project – a two-year campaign to design, build, and demonstrate an enhanced version of Nova’s 100kW tidal turbine.
“Tidal energy is needed for our future renewable energy mix – it is clean, reliable, predictable and has no visual impact.
“The EIC funding will help us develop our world-leading tidal energy technology that has been generating energy to the grid since 2016. Our current M100-D tidal turbine, named ‘EUnice’, has delivered outstanding performance since deployment in Shetland in 2020. The UpTEMPO project will build on this success, driving down costs even further through innovation and economies of scale. The turbine will be designed to meet the needs of utility clients in our target markets around the world.”
In 2016, Nova Innovation was the first company to successfully deliver an offshore array of tidal turbines, in Bluemull Sound, Shetland. Nova is working on tidal energy projects across the UK, Europe, North America and Asia.