Turbine harvests tidal energy in Canada for first time
MONTREAL - The first grid-connected tidal turbine has begun supplying electricity to the equivalent of 500 homes on Canada's east coast, its designers said Tuesday.
It was the first time the high tides in the Bay of Fundy, located between the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, have been harnessed to generate power.
"This is a proud, and historic moment in Nova Scotia's global leadership in the responsible development of a new and renewable energy sources," said provincial Minister of Energy Michel Samson.
"As we make the in-stream tidal energy connection to the Canadian grid, we are ushering in a new era in marine renewable energy and taking an unprecedented step toward a lower carbon future."
Designed and manufactured by OpenHydro, a subsidiary of the French naval shipbuilding company, the turbine was lowered to the bottom of the bay earlier this month.
The Bay of Fundy is famous for its powerful tides that regularly exceed heights of 65 feet (20 metres).
"This is a small but historic step in Nova Scotia's transformation from using imported coal to becoming a leader in clean, local energy," said Tony Wright, general manager of the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy.
A second turbine is to be installed in 2017.
The two combined will be able to generate the same amount of energy as 2,000 tonnes of coal.