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64 st / September 2015 www.sea-technology.com Germany Hits Record Renewable Energy Consumption Germany set a new clean energy national record by meeting 78 per- cent of daily electricity demand with renewable sources, reported UN Cli- mate Action. The record occurred when peak energy demand was 61.1 GW on a Saturday afternoon this summer. German energy expert Craig Morris found that a stormy day across north- ern Europe combined with sunny con- ditions in southern Germany resulted in record generation. Renewables pro- duced a total of 47.9 GW of power, with wind and solar energy producing 40.65 GW, biomass making up 4.85 GW, and hydropower contributing 2.4 GW. Germany's renewable energy poli- cy requires the phasing out of nuclear energy by 2022; cutting greenhouse gases at least 80 percent by 2050; and, at minimum, doubling the share of renewables in the country's energy mix by 2035. EFOY Pro Powers ZephIR Wind Lidar SFC Energy has integrated its EFOY Pro 2400 fuel cell into the ZephIR wind lidar's power product. EFOY Pro ensures uninterrupted operability and data availability of off-grid wind ener- gy applications, even in harsh condi- tions, for up to 12 months of autono- mous operation. ZephIR Power is a low-cost, stand- alone power system for the ZephIR 300 wind lidar. Tidal Power Partnership At Bay of Fundy A new partnership will install a tidal power turbine at the Cape Sharp site on the Bay of Fundy. Open Hydro's new generation of turbines will be deployed in Minas Passage later this year, and Ocean Sonics will deploy four icListen Smart Hydrophones mounted on the turbine base to detect the presence of sea mammals and fsh nearby. The partnership will produce an improved software and user interface that notifes personnel in real time of the presence of fsh and sea mam- mals, giving stakeholders a better understanding of the interaction be- tween the wildlife and turbines. The overall project is directed by Emera Inc. and is expected to run un- til 2018. Ocean Sonics is joined by Tritech, whose Gemini Imaging sonar can locate fsh. The Sea Mammal Re- search Unit, based in the U.K. with of- fces in Canada, is also involved. Each company contributes to the cost of the project, topped up by funding from the Offshore Energy Research Associ- ation in Nova Scotia and InnovateUK in Britain. First US Offshore Wind Farm Starts Construction Deepwater Wind has begun on-site construction for its Block Island Wind Farm offshore Rhode Island. Gulf Island Fabrication, traditional- ly involved in oil and gas projects, has been chosen for the off-site construc- tion of the foundations for this project, which is on course to be the frst U.S. offshore wind farm. Analysis of Effects of Turbulence on Tidal Arrays The TiME (Turbulence in Marine Environments) project is entering the fnal stages of data analysis, following the success of turbulence measure- ment surveys. The project, developed to improve the understanding of the effect of ma- rine turbulence on tidal arrays in Scot- tish waters, is being delivered with partners Ocean Array Systems, ABP- mer and IT Power, while being funded by the Scottish government and man- aged by the Carbon Trust. Partrac conducted comprehensive turbulence measurement surveys in the challenging tidal environments of the Sound of Islay and the Inner Sound, Pentland Firth. The frst-round tidal sites were selected for their commercially viable characteristics to ensure captured survey data and guidance supports the ongoing com- mercial development at these two sites. The surveys were designed to mea- sure turbulence using different meth- ods and technologies so that each can be evaluated and turbulence can be mapped across a tidal energy devel- opment site. ABPmer is incorporating the data in resource characterization; Ocean Array Systems is providing turbulence characterization and hydrodynamic analyses; and IT Power is contribut- ing knowledge of engineering design, device performance and tidal turbine array modeling. Following data analysis, industry guidance is expected to be released later this year, providing a unifed framework for measuring, classifying and predicting the effect of turbulence on resource assessment, device de- sign/operation and array yield. MMT to Conduct Inspections At Race Bank Wind Farm MMT has been granted a contract from DONG Energy Wind Power for UXO inspections and excavations of various contacts with option on dis- posal and removal at Race Bank Off- shore Wind Farm, off the east coast of England. Race Bank will have 91 wind tur- bine generators, two offshore substa- tions and two export cables. Based on previous surveys, a number of ferro- magnetic and acoustic contacts have been identifed at discrete locations that may impede wind farm compo- nent installation and, therefore, must be inspected visually to confrm their identity. Many of the ferromagnetic contacts are expected to be caused by objects buried by marine sediments. 3Sun Wins Two EEEGR Awards 3sun Group has won the Scottish Power Renewables Offshore Wind Award and the Best Skills Initiative Award at this year's EEEGR Awards. The awards celebrate the best of the East of England's energy industry. The Scottish Power Renewables Offshore Wind Award recognizes the company that has made the most sig- nifcant contribution to offshore wind in the East Anglian region and awards the winner £1,000 to donate to a local charity of choice. The Best Skills Initiative Award rec- ognizes a scheme that demonstrates a skills initiative to aid and enhance the development of individuals within an organization in the energy sector. 3sun Group was awarded for its Pre- Apprenticeship program. ST marine renewables