Tidal Energy

Our marine heritage and broad range of services support your tidal energy project from design and construction through operation and decommissioning.

Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts energy obtained from tides into useful forms of power, such as electricity.  Tides are created by the gravitational effect of the moon and the sun on the earth causing cyclical movement of the seas.  One of the strengths of harnessing power from tidal ranges and tidal streams over other forms of renewable energy is that the process is entirely predictable.  
 
Tidal range technologies make use of the vertical difference in height between high tide and low tide.  Projects take the form of tidal barrages or lagoons that use turbines in the barrier or lagoon to generate electricity as the tide floods into a reservoir.   When the tide outside the barrier recedes the water retained can then be released through turbines, which generates electricity.
 
Tidal stream generators draw energy from water currents in a similar way to wind turbines drawing energy from air currents. However, because water is 832 times more dense than air, the potential for power generation by an individual tidal turbine can be greater than that of similarly rated wind energy turbine. Intertek works alongside engineers and marine construction specialists to ensure precise understanding of techniques and applications that assist you during all phases of your tidal energy project. Our tidal energy Total Quality Assurance services help reduce costs throughout your projects’ lifecycle and help you secure compliance by providing practical and demonstrable project assurance services.
 
During the developmental stages of your project our team provides you with tidal energy resource assessments, site selection support, baseline assessments, constraint mapping and project planning. Our experts help you navigate complex regulatory requirements to ensure compliance during the licencing and permitting phase of your project. Intertek also provides you with data reviews, field surveys, geophysical and geotechnical assessment; hydrodynamic modelling; coastal process assessment, water quality assessment and environmental impact assessment.
 
Intertek helps you overcome a variety of regulatory and operational challenges during construction and installation of your tidal project by providing metocean assessments that help you understand weather constraints. We also offer Integrated Environmental and Modelling Assessments (IEMA) that deliver a comprehensive and quantified environmental assessment, which helps you better understand the effect your tidal energy project has on the environment and assists you during the licencing permitting process.
 
Our Geographic Asset Information and Management System (GeoAIMS) helps you store, access and analyse large volumes of data generated throughout the construction, operation and maintenance phases of your tidal energy project. We use the information stored in GeoAIMS to ensure that effective quality control procedures and project management practices are established and executed. When your project is ready to be decommissioned our knowledge, data, survey, modelling and environmental skills provide the foundation needed to manage risks associated during a project close out.