ITEG: Integrating Tidal energy into the European Grid

Project Summary

ITEG will develop and validate an integrated tidal energy and hydrogen production solution for clean energy generation to be demonstrated in Orkney. The project addresses energy related carbon emissions in North West Europe and will tackle grid export limitations faced in remote communities.

Led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, the ITEG project brings together partners from across the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands and will adopt three low carbon technologies (tidal turbine, electrolyser and Energy Management System)

The cost of pre-commercial demonstration for ocean energy is high and investors are reluctant to invest until the technology has been proven in the sea at scale. ITEG sets out to drive down these costs through the development of an integrated hydrogen production solution.

The integrated solution combines Orbital's next generation 2 MW floating tidal energy converter, the Orbital O2, with EMEC's 670 kW electrolyser and an onshore energy management system (EMS) at EMEC's onshore hydrogen production site on the Orkney island of Eday.

Initially due to complete in December 2022, ITEG received an approved project modification which will see the project run until September 2023.

In a context of global supply chain issues, the 0.5 MW hydrogen electrolyser  initially scoped for ITEG could not be delivered by partner Elogen within the timeframe of the project. Elogen remains an active partner within the consortium and, as such, will support the production of valuable documentation on topics including lessons learned during manufacture, technological advances and scalability of electrolysers.

The updated combined tidal and hydrogen solution will use power generated by the Orbital O2, which was deployed at the Fall of Warness in 2021, to demonstrate hydrogen production from tidal energy using EMEC’s 670kW electrolyser with a smart onshore energy management system (EMS).

A recent vanadium flow battery installation on EMEC’s site will also be incorporated into the demonstration ‘to smooth’ the tidal power output and optimise hydrogen production.

The EMS system will enable EMEC to control whether the tidal power generated is fed into the national grid, directly into the electrolyser to produce hydrogen or into the battery to be stored and used at a later date.  

Project objectives

• Develop and validate an integrated tidal energy and hydrogen production solution for clean energy generation in remote areas
• Open new market opportunities for the ocean energy sector through hydrogen production and energy storage
• Optimise the EMS and fast-track a clean energy generation, management and storage solution towards commercialisation 
• Build a roadmap to support the replication of the integrated solution in other remote, grid restricted areas

The following graphic shows how the three low carbon technologies will form an integrated hydrogen production solution;