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Architecture & Engineering


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July 8, 2025

Underwater turbine spinning for 6 years off Scotland's coast is a breakthrough for tidal energy

  • Tidal energy technologies are still in the early days, but their potential for generating clean energy is big.
    • By JENNIFER McDERMOTT
    Associated Press

    Submerged in about 44 yards of water off Scotland's coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity — a durability mark that demonstrates the technology's commercial viability.

    Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment that long is a record that helps pave the way for bigger tidal energy farms and makes it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association Ocean Energy Europe. Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years.


     
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