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| Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) |
| Formation | 2009 |
| Location | Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Type | Research facility |
Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) is a tidal energy test centre located in the Bay of Fundy near Northeast Margaree, New Brunswick and Cape Sharp near Digby County. It serves as a hub for demonstration and monitoring of tidal power technologies, attracting international developers, academic institutions, and governmental agencies. FORCE supports device testing, environmental monitoring, and data sharing to advance marine renewable energy deployment in the Atlantic Canada region.
FORCE operates in the Grand Passage area of the Bay of Fundy, an inlet noted for extreme tidal ranges adjacent to Bay of Fundy National Park and the Bay of Fundy Biosphere Reserve. The centre provides an array of consenting berths, subsea electrical infrastructure, and metocean characterization to facilitate trials by companies such as OpenHydro, Atlantis Resources, Schottel and research partners like Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of New Brunswick. As part of regional energy strategies linked to Nova Scotia Power planning and Natural Resources Canada initiatives, FORCE collaborates with regulators including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and provincial authorities.
Initiated in association with provincial investment from Nova Scotia and specialized agencies including Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board stakeholder processes, FORCE emerged following feasibility studies by organizations such as CanmetENERGY and consultancies linked to Hatch Ltd. Early project partners included companies from Ireland, United Kingdom, and France that pursued deployments inspired by projects like the La Rance turbine in France and pilot arrays near Orkney in Scotland. The site selection and consenting process referenced standards from entities such as Canadian Environmental Assessment Act frameworks and learned from precedents like Cape Sharp Tidal and proposals by Tidal Energy Limited.
FORCE provides subsea electrical infrastructure including a grid connection point interfacing with Nova Scotia Power transmission systems and voltage equipment similar to installations overseen by Hydro-Québec and Independent Electricity System Operator. Test berths accommodate device types such as horizontal-axis turbines, vertical-axis turbines, and oscillating hydrofoils developed by firms including Marine Current Turbines, Blue Energy, and Verdant Power. Instrumentation and sensor suites reference technologies from manufacturers like Teledyne Technologies, Kongsberg Gruppen, and Sea-Bird Electronics while deployment vessels and contractors resemble fleets used by Atlantic Towing and Canship Ugland.
Academic partners and research institutes perform studies on tidal hydraulics, benthic ecology, acoustic signatures, and collision risk using methodologies from Parks Canada and standards akin to International Electrotechnical Commission. Monitoring involves sonar systems such as those produced by Norbit and Echologger devices, camera systems comparable to FLIR Systems, and tagging programs akin to those used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Marine Mammal Commission. Data sharing aligns with protocols from Open Science initiatives and collaborations with organizations including Ocean Networks Canada and the International Energy Agency.
Environmental assessments at the site draw on frameworks from Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency precedents and mitigation practices used in projects like Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm and Hornsea Project. Studies examine interactions with species protected under listings such as those by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and international agreements like the Convention on Biological Diversity. Mitigation measures implement exclusion zones, adaptive management plans, and noise abatement technologies informed by research from St. Andrews Biological Station and monitoring protocols adopted by NOAA partners.
FORCE receives funding and oversight from provincial entities and is structured with participation from industry stakeholders, research institutions, and Crown corporations similar to models used by BC Hydro and Ontario Power Authority. Governance arrangements include advisory committees, technical working groups, and regulatory engagement comparable to processes at Canadian Renewable Energy Association. Financial support has included grants aligned with programs run by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Natural Resources Canada, and provincial economic development agencies.
Operational activities at FORCE have included deployments, trials, and decommissioning overseen alongside contractors and developers such as OpenHydro, Cape Sharp Tidal, and multinational consortia modeled after European Marine Energy Centre partnerships. Projects focus on performance validation, survivability testing, and grid integration studies with metrics used by International Electrotechnical Commission committees and utilities like Nova Scotia Power. Collaboration with international test centres including EMEC and research nodes like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution supports knowledge exchange and commercialization pathways.
Category:Renewable energy in Canada Category:Tidal power