The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ventured out to the waters off the Orkney Islands to learn how they are harnessing the power of the sea to help tackle the climate crisis.
On their very first trip to the islands, William and Kate took a boat trip to see the world’s largest floating tidal turbine, the 2 MW “O2”, as part of their week-long visit to Scotland.
Then the couple – some of the most famous people in the world – chatted with a group of kindergarten children where a little boy struggled to identify Kate, asking her “are you the prince?”
The couple plan to visit innovative projects that are positively changing the climate change dial ahead of the COP26 climate summit.
Without missing a beat, and maintaining the composure for which she has become known, Kate replied, “No, I’m the Duchess of Cambridge” adding “a lot of people call me Catherine”.
The Duke and Duchess had been transported by a Royal Navy ship 800 meters off the Orkney Islands to see the vast 680-ton machine, which can produce enough electricity to power 2,000 homes and is being tested.
As a sign of luck, the couple poured Scapa Whiskey on their two 20-meter-long rotor blades and ventured inside the 72-meter-long Orbital O2.
The couple arrive to officially open the Balfour, the Orkney Hospital in Kirkwall
Since 2003, the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) has been based in Orkney and is the only accredited wave and tide test center for marine renewable energies in the world.
Teams from all over the world come to test their new machines in the extreme conditions around the islands.
The royal couple had wanted to visit, to draw attention to the groundbreaking work underway at Orkney to help lead the renewable energy revolution.
Neil Kermode, Managing Director of EMEC, said: “He is absolutely a world leader. Yes, these are …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-25 21:14:00
