Nov 20 2010
The first anniversary of the deployment of the experimental turbine in the Bay of Fundy is to be observed by Nova Scotia Power and their Partner OpenHydro by bringing the broken 400 ton gigantic tidal power turbine out of the water.
The two firms have an inside knowledge of the challenges faced while developing functionable tidal turbines. According to Mark Savoury, Vice President of Nova Scotia Power, the tides in this region were very forceful and hostile, and hence the exact date would be totally dependent on the weather and tides in the Bay of Fundy. Last November they had deployed a $10 million turbine in the Minas Passage region around 10 Kilometers to the west of Parrsboro.
In May 2009, Nova Scotia had found that two blades had broken off from the turbine. The blades were made from blends of glass and plastic and this breakage had compelled the company to pull the unit out of the water one year before the planned schedule. Seven days after the turbine was officially launched the utility lost touch with the turbine. Several wireless sensors were connected to the utility for the collection of vital data regarding the future electrical production and impacts on the environment. Hence for the past many months critical data has not been collected by the prototype.
According to Savoury, the experimental turbine was focused on research and development, and not on generating energy. He further stated that he was uncertain as to whether the broken turbine would be fixed and redeployed, or if a totally new unit would be installed in its place. He mentioned that OpenHydro had created around four to five redesigns for the doughnut shaped turbine. The company was busily arranging to procure the necessary equipment for the lifting process. It would be lifted out of the Bay by three hydraulic winches and then taken back to Cherubini metal fabrication unit in Dartmouth.
A notice was issued by the federal government stating that it was planning to conduct an environmental evaluation on the tidal project. Two other companies, Alstom of Switzerland and Hantsport’s Minas Basin Pulp and Power, have been chosen to test the turbines in the Bay of Fundy with the projects in place by 2012. This evaluation was planned after Fundy Offshore Research Center had filed a proposal for reviewing environmentally the tidal project’s onshore unit, which was relocated 200 meters from the original place. Doug Keefe, the executive director, deemed that the evaluation was crucial.
Source: http://www.nspower.ca/