Stewart McKelvey

2 Fall 2014 Doing Business in AtlAntic cAnADA city come from renewable sources by 2015 and 40 per cent by 2020. These regulations are overseen by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review board (the "Board"), a quasi-judicial body that has regulatory and adjudica- tive jurisdiction over all public utilities in the province. technoLogy There are two primary designs for tidal power facilities; tidal height, where electricity is gen- erated by water fl owing from the high side of a bar- rage to the low side (as in a hydro dam), and tidal in-stream energy conversion devices (TISEC), which harness the kinetic energy of tidal currents much like the rotating turbines of a windmill. In order to deploy and test the TISEC devices, which are gaining in popularity due to their scal- ability, impermanence, cost-effectiveness and reduced environmental consequence, the Fundy Ocean Re- search Centre for Energy (FORCE) was established in 2009. FORCE receives funding support from the Government of Canada, the province of Nova Scotia and participating developers and provides an obser- vation facility, submarine cables, grid connection and environmental monitoring to support commercial de- velopment of tidal power. reguLAtory frAMeWork Commercial-scale TISEC has become an increasing priority in Nova Scotia, sup- ported by amendments to the Regulations that were W hile all Atlantic Canadian provinces are developing renewable energy sources, Nova Scotia is home to the world's highest and most powerful tides; located in the Bay of Fundy, tidal ranges can reach more than 16 meters high, fi ve kilometers wide and have a peak surface speed of up to 10 knots, generating roughly 2,500 megawatts of potential power. From its fi rst mill partially powered by tidal energy in 1607, to the 1984 launch of the Annapolis Tidal Power Plant (North America's fi rst and only tidal plant), and ongoing testing of commercial scale tur- bines at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE), Nova Scotia has been and continues to be a pioneer in the tidal energy industry. In 2007, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy commissioned a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to gauge the potential for tidal power in the Bay of Fundy. The province accepted the direction and ob- jectives of the SEA, creating a regulatory framework for marine energy production and funding additional research. Recognizing the need to formalize its sustainable energy future, Nova Scotia established the Renew- able Electricity Regulations (the Regulations) in 2010. They require that 25 per cent of the province's electri- By Sadira Jan and Dante Manna More thAn Wind – eMergence of tidAL energy in AtLAntic cAnAdA

• Cover