1000-Ton Turbine to Harness Bay of Fundy's Tidal Energy to Produce In-Stream Tidal Power

A giant turbine is set to make a milestone in the tidal industry after its unveiling in the Bay of Fundy.

The 1,000-ton tidal turbine in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia will be a "huge milestone" for a test project that will fully demonstrate the potential of tidal waves to generate energy. A spokesperson for Cape Sharp Tidal said the turbine was put in place on Monday and will hopefully demonstrate the capabilities of tidal energy as both a technically and financially stable form of renewable energy.

The project is a joint venture between Emera Inc. and OpenHydro. Jeremy Poste, the manager of Cape Sharp Tidal, explained the turbine will be connected to the power grid through a subsea cable and will generate enough electricity to supply 1,000 households.

According to CBC News, hopefully, the partnership will be able to help install two-megawatt in-stream turbines that will be North America's first tidal array connected to an electrical grid.

The Cape Sharp Tidal project is just the first of many plans to test different turbine technology in the Bay of Fundy. The bay is home to some of the world's most powerful tides.

However, a spokesman for the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen's Association told CBC that his group was upset that the turbine was deployed in the middle of lobster season. Colin Sproul said he was worried the vessels in the area may damage their gear and displace fishermen that were local in the region.

Just the previous month, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court denied an injunction sought by Sproul and his group to halt the deployment of the Cape Sharp Tidal project. Sarah Dawson, another spokesperson for the latter, said it will deploy every two weeks based on tidal conditions to avoid interrupting maritime affairs.

She also stressed that they have all the regulatory requirements to deploy. She emphasized that the project is also essential to demonstrate the full capabilities of tidal energy as a renewable power source.