SYDNEY — DynaGen Technologies Inc. and Halifax’s Dalhousie University plan to work on a tidal and wave energy research project that will be developed with partners in China.

Jason Gu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Dalhousie, said  research which will be conducted in China holds potential for the production of tidal and wave energy power in Nova Scotia.

“I think if we are successful, we can extend it into large power generators and in the Atlantic, there is lots of tidal and wave energy,” he said. “We can definitely harness this power.

“It’s actually good, clean power.”

The project will conduct research on a linear generator system to harness tidal and wave energy and convert it into electrical power. The research will look at developing a prototype for the generator system for commercialization, according to a release Thursday.

The goal is to develop a simple manufacturing technique that is low cost, with low convenient maintenance requirements, according to the release. The ultimate product will reduce the cost of the oceanic tidal and wave energy systems, resulting in less expensive energy using tidal and waves.

DynaGen, which designs digital remote control systems for the distributed power market, has offices at Sydport in Cape Breton and in Halifax. A spokesperson for DynaGen was not available for comment Thursday.

Gu said the Nova Scotia researchers will work with Chinese professor Hao Chen who is a  leading expert on linear generators for tidal and wave power while DynaGen and Dalhousie will provide expertise on control systems.
The prototype will also hopefully be developed in Nova Scotia, he added.

The budget for the three-year project will include about $600,000 from the Canadian side with contributions from International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada Inc., which contributes up to half of the cost, DynaGen and other possible funding sources, he said.

Funding will also be provided by research partners in China, he said.

The Nova Scotia project was among 20 joint research and development initiatives involving Canadian and Chinese companies announced in Beijing Thursday by David Emerson, the federal minister of international trade, and Wan Gang, China’s minister of science and technology.

The 20 projects are valued at more than $12 million, according to a release. All the projects are co-funded by the federal government’s International Science and Technology Partnerships Program, which is delivered through International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada Inc. and its counterpart in China, the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The Canadian partners are awarding $3.27 million to co-fund the Canadian side of these projects. The remaining funding is provided by China and the companies involved.

Source: The Cape Brenton Post 

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