Offshore engineering company Inyanga Marine Energy Group has completed hydrodynamic testing of the Passive Pitch Unit for its patented HydroWing technology, a tidal energy generation project.
The company is on track to deploy its 20MW tidal energy project at Morlais in Wales, after successful hydrodynamic testing confirmed that the blade rotor on HydroWing’s tidal energy device can automatically regulate its own pitch using a self-adjusting system.
Testing was conducted at the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. The results validate the technology that will be used in the project, recently awarded the largest tidal energy project in the UK in allocation round six (AR6) of the UK government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme.
The 10MW awarded in AR6 is the same capacity as was awarded to the company in AR5. The Morlais project purports to be the only one of its kind globally, and all the necessary infrastructure is installed at the site, including a connection to the national grid and two substations on the shore.
According to Richard Parkinson, CEO of Inyanga, the test milestone means the engineering team will be able to deliver a “game-changing” turbine and blade solution that will double annual energy production, making the 20MW Morlais project “highly investable”.
He explained: “With this new pitch regulation system, the blade rotors can now scale to twice the swept area, whilst ensuring safety and efficiency, even in the harshest ocean conditions.
“The passive pitch mechanism not only regulates the output of the device but protects the device from adverse conditions such as wave loadings, grid loss and storm surges. Passive pitch has major benefits over active pitch in terms of reliability, cost and load damping, while also achieving increased energy yield.”
Last year, a report by Marine Energy Wales revealed that the marine energy sector received a record-breaking £103.4 million in investments and spending in 2022, almost quadruple the previous year’s figure.
In June this year, Inyanga signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Verdant Morlais Ltd (VML) to deliver a full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solution to VML, alongside a long-term operations and maintenance contract.
HydroWing technologies also include servicing equipment. In January, the company introduced a new barge technology to help cut tidal energy operation and maintenance costs. Inyanga said it would tackle one of the largest barriers to the commercialisation of tidal energy: high operation and maintenance costs.
