[sam_ad id=”83″ codes=”true”]Marine experts have always known that there is a lot of energy in the world’s tidal currents, ocean waves and river currents. But up until now, there haven’t been any renewable energy projects that work at harnessing this energy.
However, recently there has been a lot of activity on Canada’s east coast, as marine experts are testing and implementing a generator project that could bring renewable energy to thousands of homes.
Workers are now busy trying to connect four huge tidal turbines to the underwater cables of the Bay of Fundy. What’s the hurry? Well, once connected, these turbines are expected to produce as much as 8 megawatts of electricity which will then flow into the Nova Scotia power grid.
These underwater generators are an initial project to create marine energy, a project managed by the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE). The hope is that this project will continue to grow and eventually generate about 64 megawatts of energy, enough to offer electric power for 20,000 homes.
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Just the Beginning
This is just one of many different marine energy projects in Canada. With a burgeoning interest in alternative energy by Canadians, enterprises are making more of a concerted effort into tapping into new renewable energy sources.
What Does This Mean?
Well, it could mean that Canada is posed to be the new leader in harnessing the power of tides, rivers and waves. Because of its abundant water resources and the number of experts in marine technology, Canada could very well become the world leader in offshore renewable energy technology.
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Joint Forces
The expectations are high, as over one hundred companies and organizations work together to research and build up these marine energy technologies to produce electricity. The idea is to make the project so successful that marine products offer viability for green energy commercialization.
The current generator project is funded by Natural Resources Canada and the Ocean Renewable Energy in Canada Group. The hope is to advance the commercialization of marine renewable energy technologies, especially for Canada, and create international competitiveness.
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Final Thoughts
This initial project is of great consequence as it serves as a roadmap to help foster the development of water energy in other areas, such as rivers. It also hopes to deliver better technology resources to remote communities where fossil fuels are expensive to transport and use.
“America has the natural resources to meet its energy demand with clean, renewable energy. It’s time to harness that full potential.”