Australia’s tidal resources present a huge and largely untapped opportunity for renewable energy development. Tim Cornelius estimates that the country could produce between 500 and 1,000 megawatts (MW) of economically exploitable resource – “a huge opportunity and a huge market”.

However he says that more support is required to ensure innovative Australian clean tech R&D firms can develop the country’s huge renewable energy potential.

“I think more incentives are needed to keep technology developing and competitive in an international market. There’s no doubt that the support we’ve received in Australia has always been at a local and state level. In the first place there needs to be a very open embracement of the clean tech sector.”

Atlantis Resources was established in northern New South Wales a decade ago. In 2005, the company moved to Singapore in order to take advantage of the increasing interest in tidal power in both Europe and the United States. Currently, Atlantis’ total electricity generating project pipeline is over 800 MW, with sites under investigation in the Asia-Pacific, Australia, the UK and North America.

Testing turbines at San Remo

Atlantis has been testing tidal turbines at San Remo, Victoria, on the mainland opposite the eastern side of Phillip Island, for a number of years. The company conducted its early experiments in northern New South Wales’ rivers such as Yamba. The San Remo connection came about when the company needed a site for a static installation fixed to the seabed and received “great help” from Parks Victoria.

Current technology

Both Atlantis’ Nereus™ and Solon™ tidal power turbines are tidal current technologies. Tidal current technology uses the horizontal flow of water caused by the high tide bulge that results from the gravitational pull of the moon and sun moving around the Earth’s surface.

The Nereus family of turbines are designed for shallow water tidal, current and river installations, operating at depths of 7 – 25 metres. A four-month data collection project on lunar cycles for the Nereus tidal turbine at San Remo is currently being completed. The turbine is grid-connected and has been in operation for a few years. Following the data acquisition phase, the company will upgrade the turbine from 100 kilowatts (kW) to 400 kW and plans to install two 500 kW Solon turbines at the site early next year.

The Solon is a horizontal axis turbine designed for deep open water deployment and is ideally suited to floating arrays in water depths exceeding 40–50 metres. Through the use of a ‘swept back’ blade design and a specially engineered power take-off system, the turbine has produced over 500 kW in 8 knots of water flow during testing, representing over 50 per cent throat efficiency. This makes it the most efficient tidal turbine ever ocean tested, says Atlantis.

Mr Cornelius predicts that the Nereus and Solon turbines will be available for commercial deployment by the fourth quarter of 2009.

Atlantis Head of Research and Development Dr John Keir says “Ultimately we believe that efficiencies in excess of 60 per cent will be achievable for turbines capable of producing more than 4 MW each, within the next two years.”

Community and the environment

Professional services company GHD handled the environmental investigations and assessments, as well as the stakeholder engagement for the San Remo tidal project.

Environmental team leader Simon Coverdale explained that an integral part of a successful project is the implementation of a community engagement strategy.

He explained that the strategy set out the whole approach for the San Remo project, identifying the different stakeholders and how to engage and communicate with them. Community engagement initiatives included community information sessions, media releases and interpretive material such as billboards.

Following community engagement, GHD carried out marine and noise assessments on the selected site. The company completed a marine bio-diversity assessment, which included a pre-installation survey of the marine communities. Mr Cloverdale explained that because the turbine sits on one pole, the main potential for disturbance was the pylon being driven into the sea floor. In view of this, particular attention was paid to this area, with a broader assessment of the wider area extending as far as the deep channel that runs between San Remo and New Haven.

The assessment was conducted using video footage, still photography and scuba divers in the vicinity of the turbine to gain an understanding of the environment, combined with a desktop review of previous investigations. After the turbine had been operating for six months, a follow up assessment was completed in late 2008.

The second component of the assessment was noise and vibration testing; this was identified as the main potential impact of the turbine trial. Mr Coverdale said the overall conclusion from the assessment, data collection and background reviews was that the local marine communities would be very unlikely to be impacted by the operation, construction or decommissioning of the turbine.

Furthermore, the turbine caused minimal noise and vibration, particularly when compared to the large traffic bridge located nearby.

Mr Coverdale said the overwhelming response from the local community has been supportive and positive, with community information session attendees particularly interested in how the technology works and the advancements in turbine design.

Investing in Australia’s future

Mr Cornelius says the most significant aspect of the Rudd Government in regard to the development of renewable energy is its commitment to promoting its green credentials. Furthermore, this development has been positively received by offshore investors looking to back Australia’s clean tech industry.

“It remains to be seen if the current legislation will stimulate investment directly, but I think that the ratification of Kyoto was a major step forward to the establishment of a global carbon market and that is important within the renewable space.”

Mr Cornelius believes that the most important climate policy initiative is the $500 million that has been earmarked for the renewable energy industry. This, he says, is “an important economic tool that is going to be of interest to investors.”

Australia is striving towards the promotion of and investment in the green and clean tech industries and over the last three months, interest in Australia’s tidal projects has probably increased by 100 per cent, he says.

“Over the last six months we have had an unprecedented level of investor interest both at a project and a parent company level. I think that is driven by the fact that everyone has realised that governments across the world, whether it be Rudd or [US President Barack] Obama are promoting and flexing their green credentials.”

Mr Cornelius firmly believes that clean tech investment will continue as it is driven by government policy. “Looking at the UK, the US and more recently Australia’s commitment to targets, it means that there has to be investment – whether it comes from utilities or it comes from the private sector – in renewables.”

When asked about the international market for tidal power, Mr Cornelius says that the UK is the most advanced in regulatory policies. “Areas like the Pentland-Firth have been identified by the Scottish Government [with] large financial incentives and large tracks of sea bed that are effectively being dedicated to marine power.”

The year ahead and beyond

Atlantis is looking forward to permit approvals in 2009, which will enable the development of commercial small-scale turbines in Port Philip Heads in Victoria and around Broome and Derby in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Additional turbines will be connected to the gird this year, permits allowing.

Mr Cornelius says “I think that once everyone else sees that our turbines are 100 per cent environmentally friendly and commercially viable, the company would certainly envisage embarking on much larger projects which would involve capital raising. We have a number of both international and domestic companies that are interested in funding projects.”

Mr Cornelius says the company aspires to have over 200 MW of tidal power installed in Australia within five years. And he sees it as a realistic aim to have 500 MW of tidal power installed within a decade. “We see a number of developers and some of the largest utilities across Europe all looking to invest in the new space, which is tidal.”