2020-04-01 Smithsonian Magazine

100 SMITHSONIAN | April 2020

the seafl oor, others in the middle of the

water column or just below the surface.

As with any immature technology, proj-

ects seem to dip their toes in the water,

then retreat for tweaks, a major over-

haul, a fresh infusion of cash, or a fi nal

journey to the scrap heap.

Down at Brier, the nimble little Plat-I

was inching toward the fi nish line, hav-

ing avoided so many of those pitfalls.

“SME is a success story because they

proved they can coexist with fi shers,

recreational boaters and the ecosys-

tem,” says Terry Thibodeau, the co-

ordinator for renewable energy and

climate change at the Municipality of

the District of Digby. “They fi gured out

how to moor and pivot their device, and

they’ve tested for years.”

If SME’s next generation power plant

succeeds in the maw of Minas, one

could imagine the company towing

parti-colored trimarans to islands and

remote coastal sites around the world,

fulfi lling a particularly satisfying vision

of energy independence—one that is

hyperlocal, low impact and renewable

so long as the Moon continues to circle

the Earth.

We won’t know for some time if

Hayman will triumph in the Bay of

Fundy, but I found myself rooting for

this plucky company and its pragmat-

ic leader, who were helping push the

world toward a historic moment. In In-

dustrial Age Britain, coal power put wa-

ter wheels out of business. Now water

wheels might help do the same to coal.

Tidal Power

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57

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