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NS Power and OpenHydro successfully
deploy in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy
Nov 12, 2009 - PRNewswire-FirstCall - HALIFAX and
PARRSBORO, NS,
NS Power and its tidal technology partner OpenHydro
have successfully deployed the first commercial scale
in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy today.
The one-megawatt commercial scale turbine reached
the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE)
deployment site, in the Minas Passage, yesterday afternoon
and began preparations for deployment. The turbine
was fully deployed just before 2:00 today and is now
operational, rotating with the tides, collecting data,
and producing energy.
"Today begins a very important period of testing
that we believe will demonstrate that tidal energy
can be part of Nova Scotia's renewable energy future,"
said Rob Bennett, President and CEO of Nova Scotia
Power. "Working with OpenHydro, we are proud to be
the first to deploy and test a commercial scale tidal
turbine in the Bay of Fundy and look forward to the
learnings ahead."
The turbine's journey from Halifax to the deployment
site, located approximately three kilometres off the
shore of Black Rock, took 7 days. Once on site, the
400-tonne device was lowered in less than six hours
to its intended location on the ocean floor by the
purpose-built barge called the OpenHydro Installer.
The barge and the deployment method were both designed
and developed by OpenHydro.
"Today is an historic first for Nova Scotia," said
James Ives, CEO of OpenHydro. "For the first time,
thanks to Nova Scotia Power's foresight and OpenHydro's
technology, a commercial size in-stream tidal turbine
has been successfully deployed in what is undoubtedly
one of the world's strongest tidal energy resources."
The turbine now rests on the seabed held in place
by a subsea gravity base designed by OpenHydro and
fabricated by Cherubini Metal Works, a Dartmouth based
company.
Nova Scotia Power's involvement with this tidal energy
test facility is supported by Sustainable Development
Technology Canada (SDTC), an arm's-length, not-for-profit
corporation created by the Government of Canada.
Photographic, video and animation material can be
viewed at www.openhydro.com/images or www.nspower.ca/tidal
About Nova Scotia Power
Nova Scotia Power Inc. is the largest wholly-owned
subsidiary of Emera Inc. (TSX-EMA), a diversified
energy and services company. Nova Scotia Power provides
more than 95% of the generation, transmission and
distribution of electrical power to 482,000 customers
in the province with 10-12% from renewable energy
sources. The company is focused on new technologies
to enhance customer service and reliability, reduce
emissions and add renewable energy such as wind, biomass
and in-stream tidal. Nova Scotia Power has 1,700 employees
and $3.5 billion in assets. Learn more at www.nspower.ca
About OpenHydro
OpenHydro is an Irish energy technology company whose
business is the design and manufacture of marine turbines
for generating renewable energy from tidal streams.
The company's vision is to deploy arrays of tidal
turbines under the world's oceans, silently and invisibly
generating electricity at no cost to the environment.
OpenHydro has achieved a number of industry firsts
including being the first to deploy a tidal turbine
at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), the first
to connect to and generate electricity from tidal
streams onto the UK National Grid and the first to
successfully demonstrate a method of safely and economically
deploying turbines directly on the seabed. The deployment
method uses a custom built heavy lift barge designed
by OpenHydro specifically for deploying tidal turbines
which delivers a step change in the economics of tidal
energy. OpenHydro has a project portfolio spanning
the USA, Canada, France and the Channel Islands with
utility partners including EDF and Nova Scotia Power.
OpenHydro has won a number of awards for its innovations
in the field of renewable energy technology. For further
information please visit www.openhydro.com
About SDTC
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
is an arm's- length foundation created by the Government
of Canada which has received $1.05 billion as part
of the Government's commitment to create a healthy
environment and a high quality of life for all Canadians.
SDTC operates two funds aimed at the development
and demonstration of innovative technological solutions.
The $550 million SD Tech Fund(TM) supports projects
that address climate change, air quality, clean water,
and clean soil. The $500 million NextGen Biofuels
Fund(TM) supports the establishment of first-of- kind
large demonstration-scale facilities for the production
of next- generation renewable fuels.
SDTC operates as a not-for-profit corporation and
has been working with the public and private sector
including industry, academia, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), the financial community and all levels of
government to achieve this mandate.
SOURCE Nova Scotia Power Inc.
Originally published by Nova Scotia Power Inc..
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