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Small modular tidal turbine being tested off Cape Cod
A 2021 NREL estimate puts marine energy potential at about 2,300 terawatt-hours per year, equal to 57% of US electricity output in 2019.
OilPrice reports that an Alaska-based tidal energy company is piloting a small, modular turbine in the strong tidal currents off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The test is designed to evaluate the technology’s performance and durability in real-world conditions, with the goal of assessing whether it could be suitable for commercial scaling.
OilPrice notes that tapping US tidal potential could support decarbonization and energy security, even as the US currently has zero commercially operating tidal power plants.
The outlet points to a 2021 National Renewable Energy Laboratory finding that marine sources in the US have total energy potential of about 2,300 terawatt-hours per year, which the report says equals 57% of total electricity output in 2019.