The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has completed a demonstration project that combined tidal power generation, battery storage and hydrogen production at its test site on Eday in Orkney, the centre said on Tuesday.
The trial linked Orbital Marine Power’s O2 tidal turbine with vanadium flow batteries supplied by Invinity Energy Systems and a 670-kilowatt electrolyser from ITM Power. EMEC said the system was tested under multiple operating scenarios, with tidal energy used to charge the batteries, supply the electrolyser and export electricity to the grid.
According to EMEC, the battery system discharged when tidal output dropped, maintaining power to the electrolyser and smoothing the variable production profile typical of tidal resources. All planned test conditions were completed, and additional safety features were verified during the demonstration.
The project formed part of the Interreg North-West Europe–funded ITEG initiative and received further backing from the Scottish Government through Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), as well as support from the EU-funded FORWARD2030 programme.
“HIE and Scottish Government are pleased to have supported the deployment of innovative technologies at EMEC which have combined in this ground-breaking demonstration,” said Graeme Harrison, head of marine energy at Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
“This world-first demonstration represents the culmination of years of effort to integrate tidal energy, battery storage and hydrogen production,” said Leonore Van Velzen, operations and maintenance manager at EMEC.
“This unique project showcases the strengths of our vanadium flow battery technology as a high-cycling, non-degrading and fundamentally safe form of long-duration energy storage,” said Jonathan Marren, chief executive of Invinity Energy Systems.
“Tidal energy offers a predictable source of renewable power, and this demonstration shows how we can unlock its full potential through innovative integration,” said Andrew Scott, chief executive at Orbital Marine Power.
