Weekly Intelligence Brief

Tidal power turbine towed in the Bedford Basin

30 October 2009

Nova Scotia Power and OpenHydro are in news for testing their tidal technology in Bedford Basin before launching the underwater turbine in the Bay of Fundy.

The 10-metre turbine is to be deployed in the Minas Passage of the Bay of Fundy as part of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) tidal test site. Testing will last up to two years. Operational data will be collected and shared by Nova Scotia Power and OpenHydro to determine the environmental performance and future feasibility of tidal power in the Bay of Fundy.

The testing will focus on the robustness of the turbine in the harsh environment of the Bay of Fundy, close monitoring of any environmental impacts of the turbine, and the energy production capabilities of the technology.

The two companies last month unveiled a 1 MW tidal turbine. This followed Nova Scotia’s Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau decision to approve the Fundy tidal power demonstration project. The Canadian province is facilitating the development of a demonstration facility in the Minas Passage. The first turbine will go in the water at this demonstration site in fall 2009.

The Open-Centre Turbine was manufactured in Ireland by OpenHydro. The turbine will rest directly on the ocean floor using a subsea gravity base fabricated in Dartmouth by Cherubini Metal Works.

Nova Scotia Power's involvement with this tidal energy test facility is supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a not-for-profit corporation created by the Government of Canada.

Read more:

OpenHydro: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/OpenHydro

Nova Scotia: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/Nova+Scotia