The Den Oever project is located in the north of The Netherlands and was the first test and demonstration projects for Tocardo, installed in 2008.
The Den Oever project began as a “proof of concept” but has been operational since 2008, delivering electricity to the Dutch grid on a daily basis. In 2005 the first Tocardo turbine was submerged. The purpose was to test the concept of the two-bladed rotor design. The turbine was installed for a few months, in which a number of trials and tests were conducted. After this proof of concept, which was very successful, our engineers returned to the drawing tables to design the commercial version of the turbine.
Facts
– Rotor diameter: 2.8 m
– Maximum generator capacity: 100 kW
– Energy yeild: around 55.000 kWh/year
– Grid connected
In 2008 the demonstrator of the T100 turbine was installed in the sluice of the Afsluitdijk near Den Oever and connected to the Dutch grid. It has been producing electricity for more then six years from the flows induced by the tides in the Wadden Sea. The turbine produces electricity for approximately 15 households. During the six operational years some new innovative ideas have been tested. For example the prototype of the smart reverse rotor system (or bi-blade), to capture the flow from both directions. We also spend a lot of effort on fine-tuning the control systems to increase operational availability and energy yield.