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With subsea projects ongoing in Japan, Scotland and France, Proteus Marine Renewables is spearheading the commercialization of marine renewable energy with its innovative tidal power products and services. The company’s core product uses permanent magnet generators but has the flexibility to use induction generators depending on site specific or client needs. Sitting quietly beneath the waves, there is no visual pollution and no navigation nor surface impact risk.
Located in Bristol, England bordering the Celtic Sea, Proteus was established in 2022, emerging from a management buyout of the tidal energy division of Simec Atlantis Energy. Proteus holds the technical IP and key tidal turbine pioneers remain core to the business. The technologies have generated over 20GWh which amounts to approximately one quarter of UK/EU’s total output to date.
With its in-house product and service teams the company has experience in full system design, also in offshore construction, operations and maintenance, and regularly contributes to ongoing developments and cost reductions in tidal energy technology. Key executives with the company recently commented to us on their progress and core technology.
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“With the recent redeployment of the AR1500 turbine at MeyGen, currently the world’s largest free stream tidal project, and the upcoming deployment of the AR1100 turbine in Japan’s Naru Strait, and the use of our new AR3000 system starting in France next year, our commitment to global scalability of tidal power and commercialisation of this innovative technology is well established,” said Drew Blaxland, CEO.
“This includes forging into newer markets such as the U.S., where Proteus has been selected by Ocean Renewable Power Company to join the American Tidal Energy Project, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, which will deploy Proteus and ORPC technology into Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Through initiatives like these, we are actively shaping a cleaner, more sustainable energy future worldwide”.
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“Our AR-series subsea-founded Tidal Turbine Generation System is a 1 to 3 MW horizontal-axis, three-bladed turbine with rotor diameters of up to 30 m, designed to be customizable to suit the specific characteristics of medium to high-flow sites,” explains Tom Hutchinson, director of products and services.
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“It primarily utilizes Permanent Magnet Generators (PMGs) for efficient energy conversion,” he continued, “while offering the flexibility to integrate induction generators based on site-specific or client requirements. Featuring advanced composite blades and intelligent pitch control, the system ensures optimized performance, smooth power output, and exceptional durability in extreme marine conditions”.
Tidal power for global projects
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In late 2024, Proteus signed an MOU with SKF and GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business which sets out a framework for a potential alliance to supply tidal turbine generation systems to developers of tidal arrays for commercial, multi-megawatt tidal stream projects. An initial focus will be the supply of a minimum 59MW to MeyGen PLC at its site in Scotland, the largest tidal stream facility in the world.
The agreement illustrates the intent to collaborate on development, delivery, operations and maintenance utilizing the partners’ capabilities to provide robust operational performance. SKF Marine intends to supply rotating equipment for the tidal generation system, comprising the main powertrain, its integration and assembly. Proteus intends to provide system design, final assembly, installation, commissioning, tidal turbine generation specialty components, other offshore services and delivery. GE Vernova, will supply electrical systems, from generator to grid.
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Developed by SIMEC Atlantis Energy (whose personnel now form the core of Proteus), the project became in February 2023 the first tidal stream array in the world to generate 50GWh of clean electricity from tidal energy. Positioned 20 meters below the surface, the turbines harvest energy from the exchange of water between the North Sea and the North Atlantic as it is squeezed between the Scottish mainland and the Orkney Isles, generating some of the strongest tidal flows found anywhere in the world. Since 2018, key Proteus personnel have led offshore missions at MeyGen and, in 2022, Proteus secured a long-term offshore services agreement with MeyGen for the installation and recovery of its four turbines.
“We believe that Ocean Energy will play a crucial role in the required future sustainable energy mix. Globally, the EU and UK are at the forefront of technology development to harvest this huge untapped resource and over the past 15 years, our dedicated Ocean Energy team has partnered with leading wave and tidal energy device developers to create reliable, intelligent and clean rotating equipment solutions from the early design stages. So we are therefore excited that, in collaboration with Proteus Marine Renewables and GE Vernova, we are now advancing into the industrialisation of tidal energy,“ says Martin Johannsmann, Managing Director at SKF Marine.
“Collaborating with the aim to establish an Alliance with SKF and GE Vernova is a significant step in the commercialisation of tidal energy. Together, we have the capacity to deliver complete power systems using what will be the world’s largest tidal turbines providing a cost-effective and truly sustainable solution. The commitment now from MeyGen for us to work towards execution of a £200m+ EPC contract with them shows confidence in our product and the delivery model, which will see us grow our team in Scotland and invest in assembly and manufacturing”, noted Blaxland.
“Power Conversion UK is delighted to be working with Proteus and SKF Marine towards delivering cleaner energy solutions. By harnessing natural resources like tidal energy, and applying GE Vernova’s efficient power conversion technologies, this valuable source of energy can be converted into sustainable, robust power, for the UK and across the globe” said Peter Oram, sales and commercial director for GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, UK.
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Building on the success of its AR500 tidal project in Japan, Proteus recently hit another important Phase 2 milestone enroute to installation of an AR1100 turbine there in early 2025 when, in the fall of 2024, ClassNK, a certification bureau in Japan, issued a Design Evaluation Conformity Certificate for the system. This is an essential step in the upgrade from the AR500 to the AR1100, which features Proteus’ latest pitch and yaw systems and is uprated to 1.1MW in order to dramatically boost yield. The approval brings the project one step closer to making tidal power a reality in Japan, with turbine assembly nearing completion soon to allow installation and commissioning in early 2025.
The project is destined to provide clean energy to the local Goto Islands, supporting Japan’s commitment to renewable energy. “Whilst the Design Evaluation Conformity Certificate is just a piece of paper, it attests to the immense drive, determination and talent of the team in completing the AR1100 design and the huge effort required by ClassNK in reviewing the encyclopedic documentation. It’s a significant step toward establishing tidal power as an emerging renewable energy resource in Japan. The Proteus team is very excited by what the future holds”, said Philip Archer, head of product applications.
In October 2024, Proteus announced that it has been selected by Ocean Renewable Power Company to join the American Tidal Energy Project, funded in part by U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. The project will deploy tidal energy devices in Alaska’s Cook Inlet which contains some of the largest tidal energy resources of any region on Earth. WPTO is funding $6 million for a first phase of two marine energy projects, allocating $3 million to the American Tidal Energy Project to comprehensively evaluate the Cook Inlet effort. Upon completion of phase one, WPTO will select one of the projects to receive up to $29 million for further development and operation of tidal energy devices. For more info, see www.proteusmr.com.