Maximising tidal energy generation through Blade Scaling & Advanced Digital Engineering

The MAXBlade project will specifically focus on delivering a 70% increase in rotor swept area of the technology by addressing design, reliability, condition monitoring, maintenance and control issues relating to tidal turbine blades.

All of these issues have to date been insufficiently addressed for tidal turbine blades and need to be holistically tackled to reach a site-averaged €30/MWh cost reduction in tidal stream energy, while maturing the technology to address barriers around investment attractiveness.

The project also anticipates significant challenges and expected legislative requirements around applying circular economy principles to tidal stream turbine blades in pursuit of a net zero generation sector.

With a close interface between blade design and testing activities, the project addresses a comprehensive circular economy roadmap for tidal turbine blades, including advancing the potential of recyclable thermoplastic resins for use in the composite blades.The project also progresses initiatives to ensure that the European composite sectors become the international leader in tidal blade manufacture through knowledge transfer, practical engagement in the blade production design and identifying and addressing barriers to increasing European supplier capacity.

The project will consist of a 2-year design and development phase, an 18-month build, followed by a 2-year performance verification through the build of a tidal array of at least two units (c. 5MW), ensuring that 8 blades (4 rotors) are tested providing cumulatively 120,000 hours of rotor performance data.