[LINK] "Bay of Fundy turbine gets test run"

[rfmcdonald]

The plan to use Atlantic Canada's Bay of Fundy to generate electricity that I blogged about in September is coming closer to realization.

A turbine that will soon be deployed as part of a demonstration project on Fundy tidal power got a dress rehearsal Monday in the Halifax area.

Over a six-hour period, a barge that was custom-built by Open Hydro the Irish company that also manufactured the turbine for Nova Scotia Power was lowered into the Bedford Basin.

The donut-shaped device, which measures 10 metres across and stands six storeys high, was suspended 17 metres below water by hydraulic-powered winches.

The turbine then underwent tests before being hauled to the surface.

Within the next three weeks, the Open Hydro device will be installed at a site in the Bay of Fundy, near Parrsboro.

If the device can survive the winter storms, the turbine has the capacity to generate electricity for up to 400 homes once it gets connected to the power grid.