Tocardo
Tocardo is a Dutch tidal turbine manufacturer developing direct-drive permanent magnet turbines (40-250 kW) for government infrastructure operators, marine energy developers, and remote-island utilities, operating the world's largest commercial tidal array via a joint venture with HydroWing and QED Naval.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersVlissingen, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tocardo does
Tocardo is a Dutch tidal turbine developer and manufacturer headquartered in Vlissingen, Netherlands, with operational and commercial presence in the United Kingdom (Gaerwen, Anglesey). The company designs and produces direct-drive permanent magnet tidal turbines in a modular range: the T-1 (40-100 kW, community-scale, shallow-water), the T-2 (250 kW, utility-scale), and the T-2si (enhanced control systems and blade performance). Its core technology eliminates gearboxes and mechanical pitch mechanisms, uses a patented bi-blade smart reverse rotor for bi-directional tidal flow capture, and is designed for a 20-year operational lifetime. Tocardo holds 21 patents in tidal energy systems.
Tocardo generates revenue through project-based hardware sales of turbine units, project development and integration services (engineering, procurement, installation, commissioning), ongoing O&M contracts on installed turbine fleets, and technology licensing to joint venture partners. It operates the Oosterschelde Tidal Power Plant (1.25 MW, 5x T-2 turbines), which it acquired in October 2020 and which represents the world's largest commercial tidal array. The company is fully owned by HydroWing Ltd (50%) and QED Naval Ltd (50%) under a tripartite joint venture formed in January 2020, giving it bundled access to the HydroWing multi-rotor subsea platform, the Subhub self-deploying foundation system, and Inyanga Marine Projects' installation vessels.
Tocardo serves government infrastructure operators (notably Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands), marine energy project developers (Menter Môn at Morlais in Wales, Indonesia Power for Southeast Asia pilots), and its parent companies' deployment pipelines. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with long, project-based sales cycles, supplemented by participation in industry events (ICOE, ImpactFest, Solar Impulse Foundation) and EU-funded research consortia (Offshore For Sure, Interreg). With 1-10 employees, the company operates as a focused technology and project entity within the broader HydroWing/QED Naval group rather than a standalone scaled manufacturer.
Tocardo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tocardo
- Legal name
- Tocardo B.V.
- Website
- https://tocardo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tocardo is a Dutch tidal turbine manufacturer developing direct-drive permanent magnet turbines (40-250 kW) for government infrastructure operators, marine energy developers, and remote-island utilities, operating the world's largest commercial tidal array via a joint venture with HydroWing and QED Naval.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tocardo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tidal Energy Equipment
- NAICS
- Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)
- SIC
- Engines & Turbines (3510), Motors & Generators (3621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tidal Stream Power Generation (In-Stream Turbines) (EUACAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Marine & Hydrokinetic R&D (Tidal, Wave, River Current, OTEC) (EUAMAOAD), Marine Generators, Alternators & Power Electronics (Gen-sets, VFDs, converters) (IMAJAHAI)
Keywords
Where Tocardo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vlissingen
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tocardo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tidal Turbine Sales: Sale of proprietary tidal turbines (T-1, T-2, T-2si) to project developers and infrastructure operators. Equipment sales include the turbines themselves along with associated control systems and integration components.
- Project Development & Integration: Engineering, procurement, and construction services for tidal power plant installations, including site assessment, system design, installation supervision, and commissioning support.
- Operations & Maintenance: Ongoing O&M contracts for installed turbine arrays, including remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance optimization services to ensure 95%+ availability.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary turbine technology and patents to joint venture partners and international project developers for deployment in new markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | T-1 Community Scale Turbine (40-125kW) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | T-2 Utility Scale Turbine (250kW) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | T-2si Advanced Turbine |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
Tocardo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tocardo designs and manufactures tidal stream turbines — the T-1 (40–100 kW community-scale), T-2 (250 kW utility-scale), and the enhanced T-2si/T-3 — using direct-drive permanent magnet generators without gearboxes and a bi-blade smart reverse rotor. The company also delivers integrated marine energy systems including HydroWing offshore platforms, Subhub self-deploying gravity foundations, and the THyPSO tidal-to-hydrogen production platform.
Product overview
Tocardo is a Dutch tidal turbine developer and manufacturer offering a portfolio of tidal energy solutions. The core products are the T-1 (40-100 kW community scale), T-2 (250 kW), and T-3/T-2si (enhanced performance) tidal turbines featuring direct drive technology without gearboxes, patented bi-blade rotor design, and 20-year design lifetime. These turbines integrate with HydroWing (multi-rotor offshore platform), Subhub (self-deploying foundation), and can be configured for inshore, offshore, or river deployments. The company also offers THyPSO for tidal hydrogen production. The Oosterschelde Tidal Power Plant represents the world's largest tidal array installation. Tocardo holds 21 patents and is fully owned by HydroWing Ltd and QED Naval Ltd as part of a tripartite joint venture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tocardo T-1
Quantifiable outcome
- 95%+ turbine availability over 6 years of operation
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Tocardo
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Tocardo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Tocardo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Offshore For Sure Consortium (15 partners)coreThree-year project (2023-2026) investing over 10 million euros in Flemish-Dutch border region. Tocardo provides smart asset management and predictive maintenance for tidal turbines. Consortium includes Bluespring (project coordinator), Parkwind, Ecopower, Rijkswaterstaat, Dutch Wave Power, Water2Energy, Oceans of Energy, FLASC, and academic partners.
- Indonesia PowercoreHydroWing (Tocardo's 50% shareholder) signed MoU with state-owned Indonesia Power to support tidal energy development in Indonesia. Partnership involves site identification, resource assessment, and front-end engineering for first tidal energy power plant in Indonesia. Deployment will combine tidal, solar, and battery storage for remote island baseload power.
- Menter Môn (Morlais)coreOperator of the Morlais tidal site in Anglesey, Wales. Awarded HydroWing a 30 MW berth potential for demonstrating next-generation Tocardo turbines. Morlais is a key deployment site for commercializing Tocardo technology in the UK.
- RijkswaterstaatcoreOperator of the Dutch Delta Works barriers, partner in acquisition and continued operation of the Oosterschelde Tidal Powerplant. Rijkswaterstaat enables turbine deployment in the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier infrastructure.
- Dutch Marine Energy Centre (DMEC)coreDMEC is the Dutch accelerator for marine energy solutions. Provided support in presenting the case for preserving the OTP project and facilitates industry collaboration, government engagement, and international market development.
- QED NavalcoreParent company (50% ownership) and joint venture partner. Develops the Subhub self-deploying tidal platform integrated with Tocardo T-1 turbines. Manages tidal test site development in the Solent via Yarmouth Harbour Commission partnership.
- Ghent UniversityminorResearch partner in Offshore For Sure project, contributing coastal engineering expertise via the Department of Civil Engineering and Soete Laboratory. Coordinates Education and Training activities in the consortium.
- ParkwindminorGreen energy company developing offshore wind farms, with 771 MW under operational management. Part of Offshore For Sure consortium, bringing experience in offshore renewable project development and financing.
- Oceans of EnergyminorDutch company specializing in offshore solar energy systems since 2016. Part of Offshore For Sure consortium developing multiple offshore energy solutions.
- FLASCminorDevelops hydropneumatic energy storage systems for offshore applications. Part of Offshore For Sure consortium providing energy storage simulation expertise.
- Inyanga Marine ProjectsminorMarine installation company with DP2 Multi-Purpose Vessel (Inyanga Entsha) capable of installing 75 MW of tidal energy projects per year. Part of larger group including HydroWing.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tocardo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Verdant Power: US-based tidal stream developer with the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project in New York's East River; competes with Tocardo in the same product category serving government and utility customers.
- HydroQuest: French tidal/hydrokinetic turbine developer with marine deployments (e.g., Paimpol-Bréhat); a direct peer in tidal stream power generation with a focus on array-scale commercialisation.
- SIMEC Atlantis Energy: UK-listed tidal stream developer operating the MeyGen project in Scotland; competes with Tocardo in selling utility-scale tidal turbines and project development services to marine energy developers.
- Sabella: French tidal turbine developer that operated a commercial-scale turbine in the Fromveur Passage (Brittany); directly comparable to Tocardo in deploying grid-connected tidal turbines in European waters.
- Nova Innovation: Edinburgh-based tidal stream developer with a multi-turbine array at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Shetland; a direct peer building array-style tidal projects comparable to Tocardo's OTP.
- Orbital Marine Power: Scotland-based developer of floating tidal stream turbines (O2, 2 MW), a direct competitor in the same product category as Tocardo's tidal stream turbines, targeting utility-scale and community-scale deployments.
Emerging players
- Magallanes Renovables: Spanish floating tidal platform developer (ATIR); an emerging peer focused on deep-water tidal stream arrays, competing for similar EU and international demonstration funding.
- Minesto: Swedish developer of subsea tidal kite technology (Dragon Class); competes in the marine hydrokinetic space with a differentiated approach but overlapping customers in EU-funded tidal demonstration projects.
Broad incumbents
- Schottel Hydro: German marine propulsion specialist with a hydrokinetic turbine product line (SST); a broader marine equipment incumbent that overlaps with Tocardo in marine current energy generation.
- Andritz Hydro Hammerfest: Subsidiary of Andritz Group and operator of the Hammerfest Strøm HS1000 tidal turbine (Shetland); a larger industrial incumbent in the same tidal turbine space with broader hydropower portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tocardo social profiles
Digital presenceTocardo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Tocardo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tocardo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Tocardo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tocardo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tocardo
What does Tocardo do?
Tocardo designs and manufactures tidal stream turbines — the T-1 (40–100 kW community-scale), T-2 (250 kW utility-scale), and the enhanced T-2si/T-3 — using direct-drive permanent magnet generators without gearboxes and a bi-blade smart reverse rotor. The company also delivers integrated marine energy systems including HydroWing offshore platforms, Subhub self-deploying gravity foundations, and the THyPSO tidal-to-hydrogen production platform.
Is Tocardo a public or private company?
Tocardo is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Tocardo founded?
Tocardo was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tocardo based?
Tocardo is headquartered in Vlissingen, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Tocardo make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tidal Turbine Sales are the primary driver. The others are project Development & Integration, operations & Maintenance and technology Licensing.
Who are Tocardo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Verdant Power, HydroQuest, SIMEC Atlantis Energy, Sabella, Nova Innovation and Orbital Marine Power. Emerging players are Magallanes Renovables and Minesto. Broad incumbents are Schottel Hydro and Andritz Hydro Hammerfest.
Does Tocardo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tocardo.
What industry is Tocardo in?
Tocardo's product category is Tidal Energy Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUACAJAB, Tidal Stream Power Generation (In-Stream Turbines), with a secondary code of EUAMAOAD, Marine & Hydrokinetic R&D (Tidal, Wave, River Current, OTEC). Its NAICS code is 333611 and its SIC code is 3510.