Cape Sharp Tidal, a partnership between Emera and OpenHydro/DCNS, announced November 22 that its two-megawatt turbine was delivering power to the grid at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) test site near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.
Towing the turbine into position. Photo: Cape Sharp Tidal
The company called the operating pilot a milestone, marking a turning point for Canada’s renewable energy sector. It is the first time in-stream tidal power has successfully been generated from the Bay of Fundy, and the first time a turbine has been grid-connected at FORCE.
The demonstration open-centre turbine, designed and manufactured by OpenHydro, uses a fraction of the estimated 7,000 megawatt potential of the Minas Passage to power the equivalent of about 500 Nova Scotia homes with energy from tides. A second turbine, planned for deployment in 2017, will make Cape Sharp Tidal one of the largest generating arrays in the world.
FORCE has invested $30 million in onshore and offshore electrical infrastructure to allow demonstration turbines to connect to the power grid. In total, more than 125 organizations contributed to the creation of the FORCE facility and its research and monitoring programs. More than 90 per cent of those are from Nova Scotia. For its part Cape Sharp Tidal has invested tens of millions of dollars to develop the local tidal industry and supply chain, and has met its commitment to spend 70 per cent of first-phase project costs in Nova Scotia.