The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), located in Orkney, Scotland, has been at the cutting edge of renewable energy. They have achieved a world-first integration trial consisting of tidal power, battery storage, and hydrogen production. This historic demonstration was held at EMEC’s onshore facility on Eday, Orkney, during August 2023. The trial illustrates how tidal energy can be optimized through advanced storage solutions, a crucial step towards enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability.
The latest initiative forms part of the ITEG project, which is supported by Interreg North-West Europe. This project alone paves the way for drawing the first tidal energy fully into the European grid. EMEC utilized a hydrogen production plant alongside battery storage during the trial, showcasing the potential of combining these technologies to create a robust energy system.
Insights from the Trial
Leonore Van Velzen, EMEC’s Operations and Maintenance Manager put a fine point on this important trial. She noted that it “represents the culmination of years of effort to integrate tidal energy, battery storage and hydrogen production.” It is through this community-wide approach that the true power of the integrated system is illustrated. It provides unique perspectives that should inform the next wave of renewable energy technology.
The trial successfully illustrated how operators can respond swiftly to operational challenges, such as an electrolyser trip, thereby preventing full shutdowns. This capability will be essential to maintain the reliability and stability of energy systems that depend on renewable resources.
Andrew Scott, CEO of Orbital Marine Power, highlighted the importance of the trial’s findings, stating, “By maximising generation through battery storage, we minimise curtailment and enable industrial offtake that can achieve higher decarbonisation.” This understanding amplifies the promise of tidal energy to be a critical technology in reaching more ambitious climate targets.
Future Implications
EMEC’s trial had already established an important, pioneering precedent in the field of renewable energy research. It further opens the door to harnessing tidal power and producing hydrogen in areas with constrained grid capacity. Graeme Harrison, Head of Marine Energy at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, was excited about the project’s potential. He remarked that “the highly predictable flows of power from tidal streams can be successfully harnessed in a variety of forms to meet the energy needs of business and communities throughout Scotland and beyond.”
Demonstration success presented a brilliant opportunity to highlight EMEC’s vanadium flow battery technology, combined strengths in smart grid technology. Jonathan Marren noted that this technology provides “a high-cycling, non-degrading and fundamentally safe form of long-duration energy storage,” further enhancing the operational efficiency of renewable energy systems.