Project will power 1,200 homes -- cost has not been revealed
While the U.S. has explored the concept of tidal power, little progress has been made in actual commercial deployments, even as projects in Russia and Scotland surged ahead. But tidal energy appears to be taking its first baby step out of the research setting and into the real world of commercial power generation in the U.S.
I. Tidal Energy Could Provide up to 6 Percent of U.S. Power
The new project [press release] will be installed in the Bay of Fundy, also known as the Passamaquoddy Bay, boosting the nation's renewable power hopes.
The bay has some of the world's strongest tides, pouring in and out 2 billion tons of water daily. The power potential in that bay is estimated to be sufficient for anywhere between 0.8 and 14 gigawatts of energy generation [source].
Globally, tides are estimated to carry as much as 64 gigawatts of usable energy. According to a more recent DOE report, the total power generation potential in the U.S. alone could be terawatt-hours annually -- roughly 6 percent of the approximately 4,155 terrawatt hours the U.S. currently consumes a year [source].
The tantalizing prospect of tapping all that power has been hindered by a variety factors. Many bays (including the Bay of Fundy) sit along international borders, hence requiring complex agreements to permit construction.
Then there's the issues of environmentalists, land-owners, and native-peoples who fear that undersea turbines could not only harm local wildlife, but also their property values. Past offshore wind-turbine projects have been plagued by lawsuits.
Last, but not least, there's the brutal nature of the sea. The rush of corrosive, salty sea-water is hardly a friendly environment for industrial machinery. Tidal power generators remain largely untested. While engineers will look to deter barnacles and other harmful growth, the harsh environment raises concerns over maintenance costs.
The Bay of Fundy in the evening [Image Source: ORPC]
With cheaper, more-proven forms of alternative energy -- like nuclear power -- available, the question is whether now is a good time to commercialize.
II. 3 Megawatt Plant Will be Crucial Test for Tidal
But despite all the concerns Ocean Renewables Power Company (ORPC), a green-energy startup, has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to deploy an entry-level horizontal turbine installments capable in harnessing 3 megawatts of energy.
The new project uses horizontal undersea turbines to capture tidal currents' kinetic energy.
[Image Source: ORPC via Inhabitat]
While just a tiny drop of the total power generating potential of the bay, that project will be enough to power 1,200 homes.
The power will be funneled into the New England area by the Bangor Hydro utility grid. It will draw power from three installation locations -- Cobscook Bay, at Kendall Head, and in Western Passage.
The effort is dubbed the "TideGen Cobsook Bay Project".
The larger deployment follows six years of research and development by ORPC, including trial deployments. In 2008 ORPC became the first team to install tidal power generation in the bay. Then in 2010 they step up their efforts, testing a turbine dubbed TideGen Power System. The test turbine produced up to 150 kilowatts in a 6-knot tidal current.
The TideGen Power System test unit has already seen action.
[Image Source: ORPC via Inhabitat]
ORPC stresses it has tried to engage the community and local leaders to minimize risk to the project from lawsuits. It comments:
We have continually engaged with the local communities of Lubec and Eastport in a collaborative dialogue about our plans and ideas, and have sought their input and advice at every step of the development process. We have forged strong relationships with City of Eastport and Town of Lubec officials, the Eastport Port Authority, the Cobscook Bay Resource Center, the Cobscook Bay Fisherman’s Association and area fishermen, local harbor pilots, The Boat School, Sunrise County Economic Council, the public and other local organizations, who have all expressed enthusiastic support for our efforts.
The work involved in building installing, testing, and monitoring our power systems has also created local job opportunities, which will significantly increase in the future.
If all goes well the project will be completed in three years, reaching 3-megawatt capacity by 2015.
Note:
A previous version of this story listed Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPTT) as affiliated with the Ocean Renewables Power Company (ORPC). This was an error, the companies are not affiliated.
Sources: ORPC, DOE
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