Welcome to the Neptune Renewable Energy company website
Marine Renewable Energy is available in the waves and tidal currents of the coastal water around our shores. Marine Renewable Energy is clean and accessible with the right technology. Neptune Renewable Energy Ltd is an advanced IP company working at the forefront of the industry and developing the sites and the technologies required to harness this energy for household and industrial demands.
Alternative energy sources for electricity generation are at the forefront of governmental policy. In the UK the government has committed us to meeting a target of 10% of energy generation from renewable sources by 2010 and 20% by 2020 (DTI, July 2006). Much of this renewable energy so far has been derived from wind power since the technology is now well advanced and proven. However, wind power is intermittent and incapable of meeting all of the demand; hence Neptune is moving very quickly to provide alternative and secure sources. There is great potential for the UK to deliver a substantial, secure, clean and economic energy for the UK and global markets.
Neptune Renewable Energy Ltd (NREL) is currently developing two second generation, commercially focussed technologies to exploit both the tidal and wave resource. These are, primarily, our NeptuneProteus tidal stream power device and NREL’s Neptune Triton, our shallow water wave power device.
NREL has developed and cost engineered the innovative Neptune Proteus NP1000, to achieve a target capital cost of less than £1m/MW. The NP1000 will generate 1000 MWh/year of electrical energy at protected estuarine sites with typical mean Spring tidal stream currents of less than six knots. These figures make the device very competitive with wind power generation and, unlike wind, tidal stream power is continuous and not intermittent.
NREL has built a full scale Proteus Demonstrator which was brought to the Humber in July 2010. Upon successful completion of trials with the Demonstrator, the world's first tidal stream power array, consisting of advanced NP1500s will be built and deployed during 2011-12.
An artist’s impression of a Neptune Proteus array in the Humber.