Nova Innovation deploys tidal turbine in France

Scottish company Nova Innovation has installed its tidal energy turbine at the Étel Estuary, bringing its turbines to France for the first time.

This tidal energy trial proves that Nova Innovation’s tidal technology can be deployed in rivers and estuaries as well as seas and ocean, opening up a whole new global market to supply towns and cities near rivers with clean, green electricity.

The Étel Estuary deployment is Nova Innovation’s first outside of Scotland, ahead of further international deployment in Canada, planned for summer 2023.

Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova Innovation, said: “We are delighted to have successfully delivered this project in collaboration with our French partners and the European Commission. The potential for tidal energy in France is huge and this pan-European collaboration has demonstrated a continued path of cost reduction alongside enhanced reliability.

“The demonstration of our technology in estuaries and rivers significantly increases the global market for our turbines. Having now successfully deployed in both the UK and France, which share the majority of the tidal resource within Europe, Nova Innovation is perfectly placed to help deliver the EU’s tidal energy ambitions and play its part in Europe’s energy security.”

Nova’s seabed-mounted turbines create no visual impact or navigational hazard, so the community using the Étel, ranging from oyster fishermen to kayakers, are unaffected by the turbines, according to Nova Innovation.

As in Shetland and Canada, Nova Innovation has worked with local experts and suppliers to ensure success of the European project, delivered as part of the ELEMENT project in partnership with CINEA, a European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

ELEMENT project, short for Effective Lifetime Extension in the Marine Environment for Tidal Energy, is a €5 million project funded by EU. The project will aim to show how artificial intelligence can slash the cost of tidal energy by an estimated 17%, bolstering the case for tidal energy as an important part of the world’s future energy mix.

As part of the project, Nova Innovation collaborated project partners Chantier Bretagne-Sud, ABB and Innosea on the manufacturing and build of the subsea systems, France Energies Marine for environmental monitoring, and IDETA for community engagement.

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