This is how you deploy an absolutely massive floating turbine
Orbital Marine Power says its tidal turbine is the most powerful in the world.
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Scottish engineering firm Orbital Marine Power is getting set to activate its first O2 Tidal Turbine in Scotland's Orkney Islands. Once it's connected to the grid, it can supply enough power for thousands of homes, the company says.
Tugboats from the port city of Dundee delivered the 680-ton turbine to the islands. Tidal turbines are placed in tidal streams to generate power. Orbital calls its O2 the world's most powerful tidal turbine. "Orkney's blessed with some of the biggest and strongest tidal streams in the world, and so it's a pretty good proving ground," CEO Andrew Scott told CNET.
Tugboats deliver the Orbital O2 to Scotland's Orkney Islands.
The O2 is Orbital's first production turbine. The company has already successfully tested its prototype, the SR2000, in Orkney. Once the O2 is connected to the grid, Scott says it can meet the power demands of around 2,000 homes in the UK, and offset about 2,200 tons of carbon dioxide production a year.
Watch the video above to see how the O2 works.