Leveraging IoT for Success in Tidal Energy Marine Operations

Dynamic Systems Analysis Ltd. (DSA) has been providing software solutions to the marine renewable energy industry for nearly a decade. Their ProteusDS and ShipMo3D simulation software tests virtual prototypes of vessels and equipment operating in ocean conditions. These virtual prototypes are crucial for the tidal energy industry as they help answer questions related to engineering design, planning, training, operations, and safety. Understanding the dynamic effects of ocean current, wind, and waves can significantly reduce the risk and uncertainty of vessel motions and loads on equipment in an ocean environment, leading to safer designs and lower risk and project cost. However, one of the biggest technical barriers the tidal industry faces is installing and maintaining turbines and cables in challenging sites like the Minas Passage. Traditionally, sea trials and experience would have solely guided marine operations, but there are many unknowns and little experience in working in extreme tidal environments.

OpenHydro is a DCNS company that specializes in the design, manufacturing, and installation of marine turbines generating renewable energy from tidal streams. They are a world leader with a vision to deploy tidal turbine farms throughout the world’s oceans to silently and invisibly generate electricity with minimal impact on the environment. OpenHydro is part of a joint venture, Cape Sharp Tidal, which aims to deploy a grid-connected 4MW tidal array in the Minas Passage, located in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. This project has the potential to be one of the world’s first interconnected multi-megawatt tidal arrays, providing energy to more than 1,000 customers initially.