Government of Nova Scotia gov.ns.ca
gov.ns.ca Government of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia, Canada
Energy

Topics

Nova Scotia Renewables Current Activity in Tidal Energy

FORCE

FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy) is Canada's leading research centre for in-stream tidal energy, located in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. FORCE is designed to test the performance and interaction of in-stream tidal turbines in the Bay of Fundy environment. Find out more at the FORCE website.

Strategic Environmental Assessment

In spring 2007, the Offshore Energy Environmental Research Association (OEER) was commissioned by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) focusing on tidal energy development in the Bay of Fundy.

OEER received input through community forums, workshops, and written submissions.

OEER also appointed twenty-four members to a Stakeholder Roundtable to provide a range of perspectives, and submitted the final SEA report in April 2008.

In response, the Province published the Bay of Fundy Tidal Energy report that responds to the 29 recommendations provided in the SEA.

Recommendation 4 of the SEA report recommended that: "the Province of Nova Scotia facilitate the development of a collaborative research program for marine renewable energy development in the Bay of Fundy. The research agenda would address:

  • immediate needs related to demonstration projects;
  • longer term requirements relating to the development of an integrated management approach to the commercial development of marine energy renewables;
  • consideration of non-TISEC technologies;
  • the understanding, prediction, mitigation and monitoring of far-field and cumulative effects; and
  • the eventual determination of ecosystem carrying capacity limits."

To address this need for research, the OEER and OETR Associations have jointly undertaken the release of an Invitation for Expressions of Interest (EOI) related to Tidal Marine Energy Research, with a focus on Hydrodynamic Modeling of the Bay of Fundy.

The priority research areas included in the EOI were identified through workshops held by the Associations that brought together local and national experts in tidal energy research.

Research areas addressed by the proposed projects include:

  • tidal resource assessment;
  • sediment dynamics;
  • animal behaviour;
  • near- and far-field effects;
  • potential effects of ice and debris; and
  • potential effects of tidal lagoons.

Projects range from 1-3 years in duration, and will commence in fall 2009.

The OEER Association, with support from the Province of Nova Scotia, has also initiated research to respond to Recommendation 5 of the SEA Report, stating "OEER recommends that the Province of Nova Scotia ensure that a Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study is carried out before marine renewable energy projects proceed in the Bay of Fundy. . .".

In March 2009, the Province of Nova Scotia provided OEER Association with funding to contract Membertou Geomatics Consultants to perform a Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study (MEKS) related to renewable energy development in the Bay of Fundy.

The report from the first phase of this study is expected in fall 2009.

Research

Data collection is ongoing, with a special focus on finding an appropriate site for the proposed demonstration facility.

High resolution bathymetry (underwater topography) maps have been generated and some preliminary acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) data has also been collected.

Nova Scotia, in partnership with New Brunswick and Natural Resources Canada, contracted the National Research Council's Canadian Hydraulics Center to complete 3D digital hydrodynamic model simulations of several potential in-stream tidal sites in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick sides of the Bay of Fundy.

Current Activity in Tidal Energy

In addition, a 2D data acquisition application called MarKE-Fundy (Marine Kinetic Energy Exporer) has been created.

This application will allow developers to export energy data from the hydrodynamic simulations into a GIS database.

The GIS database will be used to generate maps which will overlap data sets such as topography, subsurface type, habitat type and will ultimately streamline the site selection process.

The Department of Energy has become a member of the Canadian technical committee for the development of codes and standards for in-stream tidal energy.

Natural Resources Canada will lead the international electrotechnical commission technical committee on marine energy into which the Canadian standards work will feed in.

The initial focus will be on developing standards for device performance evaluation, tidal energy resource assessment, power quality assessment and environmental monitoring.

For more on tidal energy projects, history, and potential in Nova Scotia, check out the Public Education section of our website.