Tomorrow is the last day to submit comments on Sustainable Marine Energy Canada’s (SMEC) demonstration permit application for the tidal energy project at Grand Passage, Nova Scotia’s Department of Energy and Mines informed.
The project will begin with the connection of the PLAT-I 4.63 tidal energy platform (outfitted with 4 tidal turbines) that is currently installed at Grand Passage to the Nova Scotia electrical grid in spring 2020.
This will be followed by the installation of a second PLAT-I device near the current location of PLAT-I 4.63.
The second device, a PLAT-I 6.40, will be similar in size to PLAT-I 4.63 with 6 tidal turbines and a larger generating capacity. Both devices will be connected to the electrical grid via a subsea cable grid.
The proposed demonstration will be the first electrical grid-connection of the PLAT-I technology in the world. Sustainable Marine proposes to install the two PLATI devices at the locations that are said to have the great advantage of having strong tidal currents but also allowing easy access to the platform. The easy access will help technicians and engineers monitoring the device and allow SMEC to provide tours to stakeholders.
The PLAT-I system consists of a single, slender hull with a perpendicular bridge located near the stern and supported by two outriggers. The PLAT-I 4.63 unit is equipped with four 6.3m-diameter turbines, and a PLAT-I 6.40 unit is equipped with six 4.0m-diameter turbines.
The turbines are located along the bridge, mounted on retractable turbine support structures. This feature allows rapid, cost-effective access to the turbines at site for routine inspection and maintenance.