ORKNEY ISLANDS, UK — The U.K. has just switched on a huge power-generating machine that floats on the ocean while it holds down two water turbines in a fast-moving tidal stream.<br /><br />Dubbed the world's most powerful tidal turbine, the device is the size of a jumbo jet and can produce enough power to supply electricity to 2,000 U.K. homes. Here are the details:<br /><br />CNBC reports that a massive tidal turbine that can generate 2 megawatts of electricity has started to feed power to the U.K.'s grid. <br /><br />Located in the waters off the Orkney islands, the giant turbine, called O2, is about the size of a Boeing 747 and weighs 680 metric tons. <br /><br />The O2 turbine floats like a boat and can be towed by small tugboats to any position, where it is then connected to anchors and a thick electrical cable that feeds its power to the grid. <br /><br />Next, the O2 lowers its giant arms that support two 20-meter-long turbine blades. <br /><br />As sea water has more than 800 times the density of air, these blades produce more electricity than similarly sized wind-turbine blades produce — enough to power 2,000 U.K. homes per year. <br /><br />One of the biggest problems with power turbines is that they need their parts maintained regularly. <br /><br />The O2 solves this problem by having its arms attached to massive hydraulic hinges that can easily lift the blades up to the surface for easy access. <br /><br />Another great advantage of tidal systems like the O2 is that tides are very predictable, compared to wind and sunshine. <br /><br />The company that builds the O2 is called Orbital Marine Power. <br /><br />The company's CEO says they plan to commercialize the technology by deploying many more tidal turbines like the O2.
