The CRIMSON project will bring to market a reliable, sustainable, marine energy turbine, and is underpinned by the application of novel materials and an advanced manufacturing process.
The overarching aim of the CRIMSON project is to bring to market an innovative MHK power system at reduced cost and increased reliability/performance with full consideration and planning for the cradle to grave lifecycle, and with a goal of maximizing recycled content in manufacture. The immediate impact of the market adoption of this technology will be to displace energy production from fossil fuels with renewable marine energy that have a high cost of energy. The medium-term impact of the project will be to demonstrate a technology that has the potential to generate gigawatts of energy from tidal currents.
This ambitious project is led by ÉireComposites, an established industry player in composites manufacturing for the Aerospace and Renewable Energy sectors and an experienced FP7/Horizon 2020 participant, who will coordinate the project and manufacture the rotating turbine structure. Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), a leading marine energy OEM and technology end-user, is the second industry partner. ORPC has already invested substantial funds (more than €100m) in the commercialisation of marine energy and is determined to become a global leader in the sector. Their adoption of the CRIMSON technology will demonstrate its early market acceptance. To achieve the goals of CRIMSON, the project will be supported by a materials specialist (Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials), a testing partner (CNR, the Italian National Research Council) and an academic partner (National University of Ireland Galway).
The key driver for this project is the global potential to generate 120GW of clean, predictable electricity from the kinetic marine energy in rivers and tidal currents. CRIMSON will provide high-performance, low-cost, and scalable marine hydrokinetic (MHK) power systems to the market using manufacturing techniques suitable for high-volume manufacturing with recycled materials.
