Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy
As part of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE), two five-story-tall turbines will be positioned on the ocean floor of the Minas Basin near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. These electricity-generating tidal turbines will draw energy from the tidal of the Bay of Fundy, which will link to the province’s power grid.
Innovation in electrical infrastructure to provide extractable power for the region is part of growing research in marine energy industry. The relationship between the Bay of Fundy’s environmental and economic sustainability is of key importance: creating jobs in rural Nova Scotia is a major goal of this project. FORCE collaborates with industry, government, and researchers to study the interaction between tidal turbines and the Bay of Fundy environment, providing research, environmental monitoring, and the electrical infrastructure for commercial development.
If tidal technology proves to be viable, FORCE’s part in exploration and development of new energy resources will contribute to Nova Scotia’s target of at least 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015, rising to 40 per cent by 2020.