Floating tidal power in B.C. is eco-friendly

Natural Resources Canada announced in October that it is investing $1.5 million in a new tidal power technology that could operate in remote offshore areas.

The demonstration project at Dent Island, about 200 kilometres up the B.C. coast northwest of Vancouver, will be a 500-kilowatt floating tidal turbine system made by Water Wall Turbine.

Already determined to be feasible, the technology involves an anchored floating structure with a large turbine that rotates at slow speed. It is said to provide highly-efficient energy extraction — almost double that of conventional propeller devices —and is scalable from 0.5 to 5 MW per unit. Units can be linked in a series, for example along tidal or river channels.

According to Water Wall’s website the turbines have “virtually no impact on habitats or ecosystems, and have a minimal impact on the tidal effect in estuaries.

A single WWTurbine can extract up to 10 Mega Watts from energy in fast currents, both bi- and mono-directional.

The Government of Canada is using its Clean Energy Fund to invest in the B.C. project.

To read the Government of Canada press release, click here.