Tidal turbine generator

BELUGA 9, intended for very powerful currents (up to 4.5 metres per second, or 9 knots, on the surface during spring tides), is Alstom’s first tidal turbine generator. When mounted, it will have a diameter of 13 meters and a total height of 20 meters—the equivalent of a six-storey building. It will be suited to sites at depths of 30 meters or more. The tidal electricity generating turbine will undergo its first tests in 2012, in the Bay of Fundy, Canada.

In addition, Alstom has just begun preliminary studies for the development of a second model, intended for sites at greater depths where the tide is less powerful; testing should begin in Brittany in 2013. If all suitable underwater locations were equipped with tidal generators, it would be possible to generate 100 TWh of electricity annually: enough to supply power to 20 million households in Western Europe.

Alstom
www.alstom.com/power