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Bourne Tidal Test Site
The Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative (MRECo) has installed a tidal test stand in Bourne, Massachusetts, in the waters of the Cape Cod Canal. The first of its kind in the United States, the Bourne Tidal Test Site (BTTS) will provide designers of tidal turbines and other devices an easily accessible site from which they can test their technology in real-world conditions with flows of over 2 m/s with little wave influence at 7 m depth. The BTTS offers testing at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5/6, partial scale in relevant conditions, at a secure and easily accessible site. More specifically, it can accommodate turbines of up to 3 m in diameter with a maximum output of 100 kW. The test site is located on the mainland side of the canal approximately 10 m from the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge. The Bourne Tidal Test Site is licensed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and MREC is also applying for a license from the Federal Electric Regulatory Commission (FERC) to generate power directly to the grid.
Additional Information
Device Status
Is the test site actively testing or in planning (active)? Or is it permanently closed for business (inactive)?
Active
Energy Resource
- Tidal
Duration
November 2017 -
Ongoing
Max Load Capacity
The maximum amount of electricity that can be accommodated at the test site, based on cable capacity.
.10 MW
Grid Connectivity
Not Grid Connected
Number of Berths
1
Waterbody
Bourne, Massachusetts, United States
Site Characteristics
Geographic characterization for the test site location:
- Open Ocean: Main body of ocean, not enclosed or partially enclosed by land
- Coastal: Open water near the coast, spanning between land and shelf boundary
- Enclosed Bay: water that is partially surrounded by land, with a mouth open to larger water
- Constricted Channel: A channel where water flows quickly due to narrowing by the land
- River: Water flowing from land towards a larger body of water
River
Country
United States
Environmental Details
Last Modified
23 April 2025
This Test Site has the following MRE Devices
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Citation Formats
“Bourne Tidal Test Site.” Marine Energy Projects Database: Test Sites, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Test_Sites/Bourne_Tidal_Test_Site. Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.
Marine Energy Projects Database: Test Sites. <year>. "Bourne Tidal Test Site." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Test_Sites/Bourne_Tidal_Test_Site.
