China's first tidal power unit connected to grid for one year

China's first tidal power station has been connected to the grid for a year, the longest stable use of the renewable energy, according to the developer.

The 3.4 mega-watt generating unit built by Hangzhou Lin Dong Ocean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. in Zhoushan City, east China's Zhejiang Province, has sent over 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity to the grid.

Power generation modules are waiting to be installed under the sea. [File Photo: zjol.com.cn]

Lin Dong, chief engineer and chair of the company, said on Thursday that when all turbines of the generating unit are installed in November, it will have an annual power output of 6 million kilowatt hours, enough for supplying electricity for 3,000 households annually.

The previous record of tidal energy power generation was set in Britain with a four-month supply in 2015.

He said the company is aiming at building a 15 mega-watt or 20 mega-watt power unit that can break even the cost, making the sustainable energy feasible.

Lin is expecting foreign orders, with representatives from Canada and New Zealand interested.