The TwinCAT automation software also provides an integrated software tool for programming and controlling tidal turbines.
![tidal turbine tidal turbine](https://images.assettype.com/tgdaily%2F2016-09%2F435df8a9-f173-4f42-97ae-468f1529e051%2FAlstoms-tidal-turbine-EMEC-site.jpg)
Lower-level fieldbuses such as CANopen, PROFIBUS, and Ethernet TCP/IP can be relocated to the field via fieldbus master or slave terminals for the control of subsystems. The real-time Ethernet system EtherCAT offers full Ethernet compatibility and outstanding real-time characteristics, plus a flexible topology selection. Safety technology and condition monitoring are integrated seamlessly into the terminal segment via corresponding I/O modules, eliminating the need for a separate CPU. All processes, from operational management and pitch control through to converter, gearbox, and brake control are executed in software on an Industrial PC. Beckhoff’s control architecture is perfectly suited to the requirement profile of the industry, featuring openness and scalability, flexibility in the design of the controller, and a high degree of integration.
![tidal turbine tidal turbine](https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/_media/img/XCDIDOS0G0RW2OE0FRFI.jpg)
![tidal turbine tidal turbine](https://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tidal-power.jpg)
Working on the basis of PC and EtherCAT control technology, Beckhoff provides tidal turbine system solutions that have been tried and tested worldwide.
TIDAL TURBINE INSTALL
While tidal turbines are often expensive to install and maintain, the weather has much less of an impact on the power they produce than it does on wind turbines or solar installations, allowing them to provide a constant source of power that can be forecast very accurately. As the pressure of climate change grows, the world is becoming increasingly interested in the potential that ocean-based tidal power holds as a source of renewable energy.