Tidal Energy in Nova Scotia

"Nova Scotia's commitment to tidal energy has put our province in a leadership position in the global tidal energy industry."

--Chair of the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), John Woods

Nova Scotia's Tidal Energy Industry

Nova Scotia is home to the Bay of Fundy, which pushes over 160 billion tonnes of water on the incoming tide: more than four times the combined flow of every freshwater river in the world.

With an estimated potential of up to 60,000 megawatts (MW) of energy held in the Bay of Fundy region alone, of which up to 2500 megawatts may be safely extracted, Nova Scotia recognizes the potential of tidal technology to play a significant role in the world’s energy future.

The Province has taken a number of strategic actions to move ahead, helping to create:

North America’s first commercial test center: FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy), with the world’s largest submarine cable capacity: 64 megawatts
Green rules + incentives (a legal target of 40% renewable electricity by 2020 and the world’s first Feed-In Tariff/fixed price for tidal energy)
Research on environmental effects and monitoring (to better understand any environmental impacts) led by the Offshore Energy and Environmental Research Association (OEER)
Legislation (to create a clear path to development while also ensuring devices are both safe and viable).

These actions are only a starting point. Industry, government, and researchers must work together – in North America, Europe, Asia, and other jurisdictions around the world – to bring this power to market.

NS Tidal Symposium 2011

In July 2011, the Nova Scotia Tidal Symposium was held to provide an opportunity to expand on accomplishments across all jurisdictions to gain a better understanding of emerging opportunities in the sector. Held alongside the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers’ Conference, the event provided a “working symposium” where key players in the sector were able to collaborate, share information, and discuss future opportunities for moving the industry forward. The two-day symposium covered a number of topics; to learn more about what was discussed, please click here.

In-stream Tidal Devices

While harnessing the power from the tides is not a new idea, in-stream tidal devices are. Unlike a barrage or a dam system, in-stream tidal devices are place in the flowing tidal stream to harness its kinetic energy. The technology is new--many devices exist only as a concept. It will take time to test and refine these devices to create a commercially-viable technology appropriate for the Fundy environment.

Such devices have the potential to generate 300 MW from only two locations within the Bay of Fundy.

Feed-In Tariffs

Tidal energy qualifies for two Feed-In Tariff (FIT) streams: the Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) Program and the Developmental Tidal Array FIT.

Multimedia

Please visit our Multimedia Library for more information on tidal development and initiatives in Nova Scotia.

"Canada’s Renewable Marine Energy Technology Roadmap, published in November [2011], recognized the leadership that Nova Scotia has in growing a new industry. With the launch of the Community Feed-In Tariff's purchase agreements for tidal energy, a unique leadership in community-scale and community-ownership will take off in 2012. Ocean Renewable Energy Group's members from across the country and across the world are now focused on helping these projects move forward."

--Chris Campbell, Executive Director of Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG)