Scotland’s tidal power is finally being unlocked today following the connection to the grid of the Atlantis Resources AR1000.
The 1MW device, the first commercial-scale turbine, can generate enough electricity to supply 1000 homes.
It was lowered into the sea off Orkney today and will undergo two years of testing. The company plans to install hundreds of the devices in the Pentland Firth, a stretch of water renowned for its powerful underwater currents.
If successful the plans could see enough electricity generated to supply around 400,000 homes.