Wave energy has a great potential as renewable source of electricity. Studies have demonstrated that significant percentage of world electricity could be produced by Wave Energy Converters (WECs). However electricity generation from waves still lacks of spreading because the combination of harsh environment and form of energy makes the technical development of cost effective WECs particularly difficult.

Powderblade was a collaboration of The University of Edinburgh, Eirecomposites Teo, Suzlon Energy and WestBIC. It was a research and development project that used novel engineering methods to modernise the way large wind turbine blades are manufactured and installed.

Modern manufacturing involves highly controlled and automated processes meticulously designed to deliver products to specific needs within strict specifications and in a cost-efficient and sustainable way. Sensors capture continuous data streams about the state of the process, e.g., equipment and the product, to ensure performance in variable and often harsh conditions — however, the ability to analyse this data in real-time offers unique advantages currently out of reach. Learning to calibrate its operation from sensor data, monitor its health status and make accurate forecasts on product outcomes and maintenance requirements are process attributes of future autonomous factories.

The aim of the RealTide project is to identify main failure causes of tidal turbines at sea and to provide a step change in the design of key components, namely the blades and power take-off systems, adapting them more accurately to the complex environmental tidal conditions. Advanced monitoring systems will be integrated with these identified sub-systems and together with maintenance strategies will be implemented at outset from the design stage to achieve an increased reliability and improved performance over the full tidal turbine life.