Current Activity
Research & Monitoring Partners
Nova Scotia is committed to the responsible development of its marine renewable energy sector and relies on its partners to help under the interactions between tidal energy devices and our marine environment. Partners include:
- The Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), Canada's leading research centre for in-stream tidal energy and home to five innovative demonstration projects:
- Minas Energy
- Black Rock Tidal Power
- Atlantis Operations with DP Energy, Lockheed Martin, and Irving Shipbuilding
- Cape Sharp Tidal Venture (OpenHydro and Emera)
- DP Marine Energy
- Offshore Energy Research Association (OERA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that funds and facilitates collaborative offshore energy and environmental research and development and their interaction with the marine environment;
- Acadia Tidal Energy Institute is the only research institute in North America focused solely on assessing tidal energy resources and the associated environmental challenges and socio-economic opportunities The institute has developed a Community & Business Toolkit for Tidal Energy Development (view here); and
- Fundy Energy Research Network (FERN) coordinates and fosters research collaborations, capacity building, and information exchange to advance knowledge, understanding and technical solutions related to the environmental, engineering, and socio-economic factors associated with tidal energy development in the Bay of Fundy.
Ongoing Research Efforts
- Nova Scotia and the United Kingdom are working together to advance tidal research to help the future development of the industry. In July 2015, the United Kingdom's Technology Strategy Board (now InnovateUK), the Province, and OERA announced two new international research grants to projects worth $1.43 million. The projects will improve the technology required to generate electricity using high tides likes those in the Bay of Fundy. Learn more.
- Standards Development: 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 leads the International Electrotechnical Commission technical committee on marine energy, which the Canadian standards work will feed into. The initial focus is on developing standards for device performance evaluation, tidal energy resource assessment, power quality assessment, and environmental monitoring. Learn more at Marine Renewables Canada's website.
- Research and Data Sharing: The Department of Energy supports the efforts of the Annex IV Project, an international effort initiated by the International Energy Agency's Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement (OES-IA) to identify research or data collection efforts that are being conducted around the world, along with available results, and produce a public database to house this information.
Supply Chain Development
Nova Scotia has a strong ocean technology community consisting of organizations with technology, equipment, research, and development capabilities. In fact, there are more than 300 ocean technology firms in the province—the largest concentration in North America. The challenges ahead faced by ocean energy project developers require cross-sector solutions and will be of interest to ocean technology organizations as industry activity grows in Nova Scotia.
In March 2013, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy hosted a workshop to engage roughly 60 local ocean technology firms that could participate in the province's tidal energy supply chain (learn more here). In May 2015, the Province announced that it was investing $45,000 in a project led by Marine Renewables Canada to engage local companies in marine renewable energy projects (learn more).
You may also learn more about industry activities, including companies involved in the tidal energy industry, on the Department of Energy's Industry Development Blog.
If your business wants to get involved in this exciting industry, please contact busitech@novascotia.ca.
Feed-in Tariff Programs
Large-scale developmental tidal projects (greater than 500 kilowatts) may qualify for a feed-in tariff. Four companies have received approval through the Developmental Tidal Feed-in Tariff Program--find out more here.
Currently, the Community Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) Program has approved in-stream tidal energy projects, all owned by Fundy Tidal Inc. Learn more.
Regulating the Industry
Nova Scotia is committed to the safe, responsible, and sustainable development of our tidal energy industry. On April 29, 2015, the Province introduced marine renewable energy legislation that will clearly define the path from demonstration to larger, commercial development. This will give the industry and the public more certainty around what is required to ensure development is safe, viable, and sustainable. Learn more.
In November 2014, the Province, along with Marine Renewables Canada, released a Statement of Best Practices for In-Stream Tidal Energy Development & Operation that highlights the recommended elements and principles for an adaptive approach to growing a tidal industry in Canada. View the one-page summary here.