The Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative (MRECo), a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the sustainable development of ocean renewable energy, has been awarded an eight-year pilot license by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to test tidal turbines at the Bourne Tidal Test Site (BTTS) in Bourne, Massachusetts. 

BTTS is the only tidal test site in the U.S. to have obtained such a license.  This license allows turbines to generate renewable electricity directly to the grid.

BTTS provides tidal turbine developers an unmatched capability for testing prototypes up to 3 m in diameter. The FERC license will allow the test site operator, MRECo, to manage the testing of tidal turbines in the fast moving ocean waters of the Cape Cod Canal. Aspects of the testing include turbine efficiency, generation capacity, durability and potential environmental effects. 

Developing new turbine technologies in very challenging and costly.  University test tanks can only test small prototypes and components of less than 1 m.  Testing large devices in the ocean requires extensive permitting. The BTTS was funded by the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council to address the test site shortage.

Learn more here.