Bourne tidal test site ready for installation

Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative (MRECo) has informed that the structure for the Bourne Tidal Test Site (BTTS) is completed and ready for deployment.

The steel test structure, fabricated by MassTank, will be installed by a marine construction company AGM Marine Contractors once the final permits are in place.

MRECo received a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the test center back in October 2016, and more recently, the permit from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

The final go-ahead is expected to be granted within days, MRECo said, after which AGM will mobilize its equipment to install the structure to the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts by the end of this month.

MRECo also said that over the past month a team of engineers, scientists and helpers joined forces to create the real-time data acquisition, storage and transmission system that will be installed on the BTTS.

BTTS will consist of a steel test structure comprising two pilings joined by a bridge with test turbine mounted onto the bridge. It is anticipated that turbines of up to 3 meters in diameter will be tested with maximum output of 100kW.

MRECo is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to foster the sustainable growth of marine renewable energy, including wave, tidal, and offshore wind sectors of New England through education, collaboration, and demonstration.

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