Orbital Marine Power - tidal turbine blade

Orbital Marine Power is a Scottish company headquartered in Orkney, developing floating tidal turbine technology. A blade which is now on public display, comes from their SR2000 turbine which was the world’s most powerful tidal stream turbine of its time when launched in 2016, producing 2 MW from two stall‑regulated, two-bladed rotors.

During its testing at EMEC’s Fall of Warness site, the SR2000 generated more than 3 GWh of electricity in 12 months, at one point meeting around 25% of Orkney’s electricity demand and averaging 8% over a measured week. Its power also enabled the world’s first tidal‑powered hydrogen production, supporting EMEC’s low-carbon innovation projects.

Building on this success, Orbital created the 2 MW O2 turbine, which has been demonstrating at EMEC since 2021, featuring advanced blade‑pitch control and the largest rotor swept area ever deployed on a tidal platform. Ongoing innovation continues through the €10 million MAXBlade project, which aims to extend Orbital’s blades to 13 metres, making them the longest tidal turbine blades in the world.

An identical blade is on display at the British Science Museum in London as part of their ‘Energy Revolution’ display https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/overview-energy-transition#wind-water-and-sunshine.