Oxford Spinout (formally known as Tidal Transit Limited) secured £4.3M (€5.1M) to accelerate the commercialisation of its tidal energy technology. The funding follows several years of research at the University of Oxford, focusing on the engineering challenges associated with extracting energy from high-velocity underwater environments.
The company develops high-speed tidal turbine rotors and power take-off systems designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the deep sea. Unlike wind or solar power, tidal energy is entirely predictable, yet high maintenance costs and turbine fatigue have historically hindered large-scale deployment. Oxford Spinout’s tech aims to improve the durability and efficiency of these components to lower the levelised cost of energy.
This fresh capital will support the construction and testing of full-scale prototypes in real-world marine conditions. By addressing the mechanical failures that often plague tidal arrays, the team intends to prove that tidal power can serve as a consistent, baseload-style contributor to the national grid. The company maintains close links with the university's engineering science department to iterate on its hardware designs.
As the UK pushes for a decarbonised power system by 2030, the development of hardware-led marine energy solutions reflects a growing appetite for domestic technologies that complement intermittent wind and solar assets.
Originally reported by Tech Funding News.