RE: Orkney is this Us20 Aug 2019 16:25
SAE turbines are ballasted to the seabed - i.e. they are lowered to the seabed and connected to the grid on cables under the ocean. Conversely, the SR2000 and future deigned systems by the Texo Group are floating turbines - they do not require the more expense vessels to deploy and float on the surface in varying depths and they rotate around a central mooring buoy to take maximum effect of the changing tidal patterns. Which system is better? Both have their pros and cons; one disadvantage of the Texo system is that the turbine is battered more by surface conditions and partially open to the elements and rather than being 'out of the way' is visible to all to see.