Abstract
This chapter presents a case study on tidal energy converters. It describes a number of devices at the forefront of development, many of which are being, or have been, tested at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. The authors also raise a variety of practical issues that greatly affect device developers as they build, deploy and test devices which, in many cases, approach or exceed 1000 tonnes in weight. Tidal stream devices tap the kinetic energy of tidal flows and the majority of today's advanced designs mimic the action of large wind turbines, even though the fluid that powers them is about 800 times denser and moves more slowly. Tidal stream devices are tending towards a standard recipe, we are referring to their horizontal‐axis rotors, power trains and nacelles.
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