Sustainable Marine Energy Canada is proceeding with plans to deliver the world’s first tidal energy array after launching a large floating platform with six underwater turbines in the Bay of Fundy.
The platform is the latest in a long series of efforts to harness the energy of the Bay of Fundy tides, which are among the highest in the world. The platform is expected to undergo testing this winter and spring in the area known as Grand Passage, near the town of Parrsboro, N.S.
“This tidal technology is the result of a tremendous international effort combining world-class scientific and engineering expertise from our German, Scottish and Canadian teams,” says Jason Hayman, CEO of Sustainable Marine Canada.
The Dartmouth-based company describes the 420-kilowatt PLAT-I 6.40 platform as Canada’s first floating tidal energy array. Sustainable Marine says its Pempa’q In-stream Tidal Energy Project will eventually include two other platforms. Pempa’q is the Mi’kmaq word for “rise of the tide.”
The total in-stream tidal energy project will deliver up to nine megawatts of electricity to the Nova Scotia grid. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and power approximately 3,000 homes in Nova Scotia.
The turbines look like inverted windmills and are designed to flip-up for maintenance like outboard motors on a boat. The platform includes a turret that will allow it to align itself with the tidal flow. It was built by A.F. Theriault and Son Ltd. in Meteghan, N.S.