A project designed to harness natural forces to generate energy could indicate a growth in alternative energy stations. Back in April, Bluewater Energy announced the launching of a tidal platform in the Netherlands that would convert the movements of the tides into usable energy for that country. Six months later, the initial results have proven so successful that the company is expanding the current platform to include another turbine.
As a Hydro International article details, the platforms could be a potential boon to island and other remote communities that need efficient sources of clean energy. The company has a staggered plan for developing this platform and will eventually introduce units capable of 2.5 megawatts. The platform is named BlueTEC Texel after the Dutch island near where it was initially installed.
Bluewater is one of several companies involved in the BlueTEC Texel Tidal project. As a press release published after the first launch describes, Allard van Hoeken, Head of New Energy for the company, declared the historic nature of the platform at its official naming ceremony.
"It is wonderful to see the Texel tidal energy project come to reality," he said. "Today's ceremony puts us a step closer to our goal of putting an all-in-one tidal energy platform on the market and delivering clean, local and endless energy to the world." One of the most notable aspects of the project is how quickly it has developed: van Hoeken has noted that the platform only took six months to be put into action after conception.
Insurance for offshore projects may need to include novel systems like these that add to energy production techniques.