Bowtech Supplies Vision System to Assist Installation of Scotland’s First Tidal Energy Project

Bowtech Products Ltd. (‘Bowtech’), a market leading manufacturer and supplier of cameras, LED lighting, connectors, fiber optic multiplexers and slip rings for use in underwater or hazardous area applications, to any ocean depth, has announced that they have supplied a vision system, to assist the installation of Scotland’s first tidal energy project.

The 1MW HS1000 tidal turbine, a device developed by ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest, was installed for Scottish Power Renewables, in the tidal waters around Orkney, December 2011 and has since been undergoing tests. The new device is providing electricity for homes and businesses on the northern Orkney island of Eday.

Bowtech supplied their Divecam acrylic, miniature, high resolution, monochrome CCD cameras to the project, along with their latest LED G 1600 lights and a surface controller. The vision system provided quality imaging and light, when installing the device during atrocious weather conditions, to operate in fast flowing tidal waters.

The Bowtech DIVECAM-700M, miniature high resolution monochrome CCD camera provides a low cost solution, to shallow underwater viewing and observation.

The cameras are manufactured with a high quality acrylic housing (patent pending), rated to 100 / 300 metres operating depth as standard. The camera is fitted with a fixed focus wide angled lens, giving a diagonal field of view of 65° in water, through the unique integral acrylic window. The miniature, high quality 1/3” CCD sensor, offers high resolution and low light level sensitivity. It is the ideal camera for low light shallow viewing tasks.

The LED-G-Series are available with either 800, 1000 or 1600 lumens output and various colour temperature options. The 800 lumen model is designed to operate in wet and dry conditions.

Due to Bowtech’s continued history of innovation, these lights feature the latest and best underwater LED lighting technology available.

Rated to operate at 300 metres ocean depth, the lamps are manufactured with aluminium housing, which is anodised to offer proven corrosion resistance. The 85° diagonal wide angle beam of light produced is ideal for colour video inspection or viewing tasks, especially for diving and inspection ROV applications.

 Steve Bowring, Managing Director says:

“We are delighted to be associated with Scotland’s first tidal energy project providing Scottish designed and manufactured underwater cameras and lamps.”

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Offshore WIND staff, May 23, 2012; Image: Bowtech’