The Government of Canada has announced an investment of $65,000, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) Innovative Communities Fund (ICF), in support of a new geographic information system (GIS) mapping platform for Bay of Fundy.
This online tidal energy atlas will be used to understanding how to harness masive tidal energy poteintial in a sustainable manner and capitalize on the economic opportunities it can provide.
The project is a partnership between the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute (ATEI) in Wolfville, the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) in Parrsboro, and Fall River’s Tekmap Consulting, and resulted in a successful beta-version of the technology funded by the Offshore Energy Research Association. When launched, the fully-formed tool will help to build a competitive, sustainable tidal energy industry across the province as well as provide educational benefits for the broader community.
“Today, Acadia sits at the forefront of research, development and activity in an industry that is poised to inject up to $1.7 billion into Nova Scotia’s economy over the next 25 years. Through this project, the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute, along with the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy and the Offshore Energy Research Association, is providing the sector with a tool that yields unprecedented insights into the potential inherent in tides,” said Justice Minister Peter MacKay.
The tool will aid in decision-making related to research, development and deployment by yielding insights such as the visualization of physical and environmental layers of a site, available power potential, existing turbulence and the presence of marine life.
In addition to ACOA’s investment, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and the Offshore Energy Research Association are each investing $20,000 in the project. FORCE is also investing $10,000 in the project as well as in-kind expertise.
Anna Redden, Director of the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute, added: “Effective sharing of tidal energy site data and knowledge requires visualization of diverse and large geospatial datasets. This new tool will provide easy, online display of maps that show information and available data collected from tidal site surveys, research projects, models, and other resources. It is both practical and educational, and will be beneficial for all tidal energy stakeholders, including the public.”
Image: acadiau