Tidal Power System to Be Tested in Digby County, Canada

Fundy Tidal Inc. and Clean Current Power Systems Inc. have entered into an agreement to test and demonstrate a 3.5m diameter Clean Current tidal turbine as part of a Tidal Power System (TPS), including energy storage and system controls that enable balancing of power production with community load (TPS project).  

The TPS project is expected to last 12 months, with a target commissioning date in the fall of 2014. The energy storage technology will be selected to best match the predicted output of the Clean Current turbine to the TPS design objectives. The energy storage partner will be selected with consideration of economics, proven reliability, and business opportunity.

Clean Current and Fundy Tidal are currently working together as part of the Acadia University led research project funded under Natural Resources Canada’s ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII project). The goal of the ecoEII project is to reduce the cost of tidal energy generation through comprehensive hydrodynamic site assessment techniques.  The TPS project leverages approximately $3.3M of work currently underway under the ecoEII project. The initial phases of the ecoEII project will involve selecting the turbine berth site and providing TPS design criteria.

The TPS project enables the final phase of the ecoEII project, namely tidal turbine monitoring, evaluating the effects of energy extraction on the natural flow regime, and validation and improvement of site assessment models.

“This is another significant step in Fundy Tidal’s goal to play a leading role in initiating tidal energy R&D activities in Digby County and seeing our COMFIT projects come to fruition,” says Vince Stuart, Fundy Tidal President. “We consider Clean Current to be a leading tidal turbine developer in Canada and are very pleased they have chosen to work with us in Nova Scotia to test their latest technology.”

“We at Clean Current are excited to work with Fundy Tidal, a pioneer in the effort to harness the tremendous potential tidal energy in Nova Scotia,” says Christopher Gora, President of Clean Current. “The TPS project is an important step on the path to realizing that potential, providing invaluable experience in site assessment, deployment and operation of tidal power systems.”

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Press release, November 8, 2013; Image: Clean Current Power Systems