Ron Scott, president, Maritime Tidal Energy Corporation has acknowledged that partnerships are forming between tidal developers and large energy companies like ScottishPower, EDF Energy and Emera.
In a column, contributed in thechronicleherald.ca, Scott has highlighted that six tidal energy development companies have plans to install commercial tidal farms in the next two to three years.
Governments, particularly in the UK, are providing incentives to help developers get to the other side of high start-up costs.
"We are drawing closer to the time when we will be generating energy from our oceans in a major way – energy that does not produce carbon dioxide, that is available virtually forever, and at a cost that is predicted eventually to be similar to the cost of wind energy," he wrote.
The Atlantic region is playing a significant role on the international tidal energy stage.
"If all goes well with the demonstrations in the Bay of Fundy, commercial in-stream turbine installations are the next major step," he says. "If we act boldly, co-operatively and quickly, Atlantic Canada can leverage the good start we have made and become the centre of an international renewable ocean energy industry."
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Published on Dec 6, 2008
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ed_williams says ...
Some joined up thinking and compromises applied at this stage would perhaps make the projects more cost effective and acceptable to the various lobby groups. Why does tidal = barrage? The tides on continental shelves generally run with plenty of force to turn well designed tidal turbines in free tidal stream flow, without significantly damaging estuary environments. Artifical islands could channel tidal flow more effectively into the turbines, they could maybe be constructed from old tyres chained together and provide breeding sites to improve fish stocks. The islands could perhaps be anchored to pin-piles supporting wind turbines that share the infrastructure to take power to shore or even to "factory" islands that would handle high power requirement processes that are too sensitive to site near coastal towns and cities ...reducing industrial baseload demand on the National Grid.
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danielkgodon says ...
Interest in tapping the bay's energy also runs strong on the American side of the border.
Ocean Renewable Power Corp. has been testing ahelical turbine at the bay's mouth, offshore from Eastport, ME. ORPC has partnered with Eastport and the University of Maine in an initiative to make Maine a player in tidal power.
Additionally, the Maine Maritime Academy is taking a leadership role in establishing a testing center to evaluate products from as many as three turbine makers at a time, hooked to an electrical grid. It hopes to announces a partnership with an initial developer very soon. For more on this, see Free Flow Files entry at blog.zwa-energy.com
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