CGEN Engineering has presented the initial results from its TIDEGEN project during a demonstration day hosted by the Marine Energy Test Area in Pembrokeshire.

The event gave project partners, industry representativesand other stakeholders an opportunity to hear about the development anddeployment of the TIDEGEN system and to see the turbine operating at its testsite at Warriors Way.

Attendees also took part in a sail-by of the installation, providing a close view of the system in the water.

TIDEGEN was developed through an Innovate UK-supportedcollaboration involving CGEN Engineering, Swansea University, Fountain Design Ltd and Rudders Boatyard Ltd.

The project brought together CGEN’s modular generator technology with a tidal turbine developed by Swansea University.

For CGEN, the project represented an important opportunity to take its generator technology beyond controlled workshop and laboratory environments and gain experience of integration, installation and operation in a real marine setting.

Marine energy systems operate in demanding conditions, and the practical learning gained through installation and deployment is an important part of developing equipment that can be manufactured, maintained and operated reliably.

During the Demo Day, the project team presented the initialoutputs from the deployment and discussed the wider development route for thetechnology.

The work has provided experience across generator manufacture, turbine integration, electrical and mechanical interfaces, marine operations and collaboration with local supply-chain partners.

It has also helped identify areas for further development as CGEN works towards larger machines and future commercial projects.

The TIDEGEN programme forms part of CGEN’s wider work in marine renewable energy, which includes wave and tidal power take-off systems ranging from small-scale demonstrators to larger commercial concepts.

The project also provides a useful bridge between CGEN’s previous generator research and its growing portfolio of commercial and collaborative projects.

CGEN would like to thank everyone who attended the Demo Dayand contributed to the discussions.

The company would also like to thank the META team for hosting the event, Swansea University, particularly Thomas Lake and Ian Masters, Fountain Design Ltd and Rudders Boatyard Ltd for their continued support, and Innovate UK for funding the project.

Organisations interested in learning more about TIDEGEN, CGEN’s modular generator technology or future collaboration opportunities are encouraged to contact the CGEN team.

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