The Bay of Fundy tides tipped to generate electricity by 2015

Nova Scotia has shared that harnessing the Bay of Fundy tides to generate electricity on a commercial basis is at least seven years away.

The project may need an influx of taxpayer money to proceed, according to Nova Scotia's deputy energy minister Alison Scott, who also said that the earliest possible date (of being commercial) is 2015. 
 
This was shared by Scott as she provided an update on the province's $45-million effort to test three underwater turbines in the Bay of Fundy starting next year, reported The ChronicleHerald.ca.

"Right now, (tidal power) is not competitive with other sources of renewable energy," Scott said. "If I can leave you with one message, it ought to be this: (tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy) is an emerging technology and it is pre-commercial." 

Nova Scotia Power and its partner, OpenHydro of Ireland, intend to put an underwater turbine in the water next year. The other two developers, Clean Current of British Columbia and Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. of Hantsport, are planning to install their underwater devices in the spring of 2010 after an underwater cable is installed to carry the electricity back to shore. Each of the turbines will cost an estimated $10 million to $15 million to design and construct for the harsh environment of the Bay of Fundy.

For its part, the Province of Nova Scotia in June this year shared that it has committed up to $2 million for research to ensure tidal devices face close scrutiny before going in the water, and to better understand the tidal resource in the Bay of Fundy. "We need to move cautiously," Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt had said. 

Research suggests the Bay of Fundy may be North America's best site for tidal power generation, with an estimated in-stream potential of 300 megawatts of energy from two sites close to the exiting grid -- enough power for about 100,000 homes.