A tidal power system developed by SMD Hydrovision has been chosen to represent UK innovation in a pavilion at World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan.
The TidEl system (See Extra, issue 42) is a tidal stream generator that uses a mooring arrangement to restrain a submerged buoyant turbine. Department of Trade and Industry grants enabled 1/50th scale and 1/10th scale systems to be designed, built and tested to prove the technology and provide a platform to develop a large 1MW offshore prototype system, which will be undertaken over the next year.
The pavilion, organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was formally unveiled at a reception in the presence of HRH The Duke of York at the end of last month. The Expo is expected to receive 15 million visitors.
