Sustainable Marine Energy Canada

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Testing at Grand Passage

In September 2018, we started an exciting journey in Nova Scotia, Canada with the installation of our floating in-stream tidal energy platform; PLAT-I. The potential of tidal energy in Nova Scotia, and Canada in general has been recognized for decades, but realizing this potential has proven to be a considerable challenge.

The initial hurdles that need to be overcome are both technical and operational in nature - because the swiftly moving tidal streams are so energetic, it is a challenge to build equipment that can survive in this energetic environment, and equally the challenge to conduct marine operations in this environment. To provide some perspective on the types of loads that can be experienced - our small, 70 kW turbines that we are using on our platform at Grand Passage can experience thrust forces that are same as the Trent 1000 turbofan engine used on Boeing’s Dreamliner.

Once the tidal energy system is up and operating, the next challenge is understanding how it interacts with the marine environment, and the impacts that it might have on marine wildlife and other users. There have been numerous studies conducted overseas, and several in-stream tidal turbines have now operated for thousands of hours (mainly in the UK, and in some very sensitive environments with extensive marine mammal populations, such as Strangford Lough), without any impacts with marine wildlife being recorded over extensive operational periods. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t happen and we need to be vigilant and monitor these initial deployments of our technology closely. We would stress that in-stream turbines are very different from tidal turbines installed in tidal barrages where anything that enters the intake has to go through the turbine to get to the other side while experiencing rapid pressure changes. In-stream turbines are more like small, underwater wind turbines and fish, marine mammals and debris can go round the turbines.

The final challenge, once you have a reliable system that is proven to be safe to operate in the environment is to get the cost down, so that it can compete with other forms of generation, such as diesel which so many island and remote coastal communities are reliant upon. This is a journey that other renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar embarked upon a couple of decades ago, so we have some catching up to do. However, tidal energy can offer some substantial benefits over these other forms of intermittent and seasonal renewable energy technologies due to its extremely predictable nature. We believe that tidal energy can really empower island and coastal communities, providing a clean form of energy, security of supply and local economic benefits.

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