SEABLADE Project Funded by Oceanera Net CoFund Call
The SEABLADE project has been selected for funding as part of the Oceanera Net CoFund Call.
The project will be led by ÉireComposites and also includes a pioneering Scottish tidal turbine developer (Scotrenewables Tidal Power), and an Irish University with world-leading facilities for tidal blade testing (NUI Galway).
ÉireComposites has identified the strong potential to reduce the cost of tidal turbine blades using epoxy powder and glass fibre and an innovative proprietary manufacturing technology with advantages for weight, performance, efficiency, reliability, maintenance and costs. The project will advance the verifiable design life of such blades through a suite of tests and verification studies, both accelerating advancement of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and commercial readiness and informing decision making for future design iterations to reduce material costs, while also improving reliability and performance even further.
The project will accelerate the development of a commercial-ready, cost-effective tidal blade product. The key objective is to gather sufficient test data to validate a 20-year design life for the blades. This will result in more reliable blades that will lead to reduced maintenance and increased productivity and revenue. The project will, therefore, reduce the commercial risks associated with tidal energy. The overall impact of the project will be a reduced LCOE for the European citizen who will be the ultimate end user and beneficiary of the project.
