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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Singapore launches 1st tidal turbine test-bed SINGAPORE, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A research group with Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Wednesday launched the country's first tidal turbine system to test the feasibility of tapping tidal energy to generate electricity here. The new tidal turbine test bed, built at the site of Sentosa Boardwalk, a bridge connecting the main island of Singapore and the Sentosa, was designed, built and installed by NTU engineers from the Energy Research Institute at NTU, in collaboration with the Sentosa Development Corporation. The tidal turbine system consists of two low-flow turbines mounted on the test bed, which are optimized for local conditions. "Compared to typical turbines, these specially designed prototypes are able to work at higher efficiency despite low water speeds, similar to those found in Singapore's waters," the research group said in a statement. The two turbines installed at the test bed could extract energy from tidal currents to generate up to 1,000 watts of energy per hour combined, which could power about 70 fluorescent light bulbs. The researchers said the energy generated during the test will be use to power the lights at the Sentosa Boardwalk Turbine Exhibit. Tidal energy are very common in temperate regions like the UK and the U.S., where tidal flows are more powerful. Its key advantage as a renewable energy source is that tidal cycles are predictable, unlike conventional wind and solar energy, which are highly susceptible to weather fluctuations. According to the research group, they will further analyze how low-flow tidal energy can be used efficiently and made cheaper and more reliable in the coming year. Local paper the Straits Times said about 80 percent of the energy needs in Singapore are met by natural gas. The country is also ramping up its use of solar energy, the only renewable energy source currently connected to the national grid. Editor: Fu Peng 分享 Related News • Winds of change at turbine maker • Turbine producer Vestas sells six factories for 1 euro • GE wins 2.2-bln-USD turbine contract with Algeria's Sonelgaz • U.S. launches first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in Maine • Wind turbines under-used in China Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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