Posted by: oregblog | May 22, 2012

Marine renewables profile continues to grow

The release of Nova Scotia’s Marine Renewable Energy Strategy clearly illustrates that the region’s marine renewable resources are the basis for ongoing clean energy development, for innovation and for economic activity in a new worldwide industry. It sets a medium term target of 300 MW, with a suggestion that up to 2,400 MW may eventually be accessible. The clarity of this vision and the scale of potential activity builds on the work of the last few years and clearly sets Nova Scotia among the leaders in defining how this industry will develop.

Perhaps less noticed was the signing last weekend of another Canada/UK agreement referencing marine renewables, prioritizing them amongst more established renewables. Last September, Prime Ministers Harper and Cameron signed a declaration identifying 18 collaborative initiatives including marine renewables:

“We will encourage the development of technology systems necessary for commercial-scale electricity production from marine energy.  We plan to lead the world in moving  forward from pilot wave and tidal energy devices to exploring actual power generation stations connected to our respective electricity grids. ”

Last week Trade Minister Fast signed a further agreement with UK Minister Lord Green concerning “Joint Initiatives in the Fields of Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship“.

This new agreement promises collaboration around policies and market initiatives encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, but it also focuses on three sectoral areas with health and advanced manufacturing being two. The third directly focuses on marine renewable energy stating:

“Sustainability, renewable energy and clean technologies: Encourage joint collaboration on technology development and knowledge sharing between both countries to accelerate the development, demonstration and deployment of technologies and process to support the marine energy sector. Other priority areas may include bioenergy, hydrogen and fuel cells, and sustainable construction.”

Last year’s roadmapping project made a case for a focus on accelerating innovation in the technology and practices that can grow an industrial marine renewable energy solution. As we await the results of many marine renewable energy project proposals to the EcoEnergy Innovation Initiative, we must hope that those that will not be facilitated by that oversubscribed programme can expect other attention as Canada moves to do its part in this more highly profiled focus.

 

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Posted by: oregblog | May 15, 2012

Industry welcomes Nova Scotia’s strategy for marine renewable energy development

Nova Scotia has reached another major milestone in advancing the industrial development of marine renewable energy and securing a leadership position globally.

This week’s launch of Nova Scotia’s Marine Renewable Energy Strategy, reinforces the province as the place to be for developing tidal energy by providing the conditions that will support advancement of community-scale tidal projects, broaden strategic research and testing initiatives at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), and achieve a 300 MW target of commercial development by 2020.

“Nova Scotia has created winning conditions for tidal energy development” said Chris Campbell, Executive Director of Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG). “The establishment of a commercial- licensing process supported by a feed-in tariff will create a world-leading, market-driven industry for generations to come.”

Nova Scotia’s vision is to be a global leader in the development of technology and systems that produce environmentally sustainable, competitively priced electricity from the ocean. The strategy will advance tidal energy beyond resource prospect and technology trial, to a new phase of accelerated development that will help achieve an internationally active industry. OREG and its members have supported Nova Scotia in its ambition to develop a strategy that will launch this new and sustainable industry.

The strategy contains fundamental enabling activities that will help advance tidal energy beyond the testing stage to commercial development including:

  • an enhanced mandate for FORCE to act as the hub of knowledge for applied research, technology testing, and operation for both small and large scale technologies.
  • exploring options for incubation facilities to test devices and associated technologies.
  • a two-track licensing process leading to 300 MW commercial development in the Bay of Fundy.
  • establishment of a tidal regulatory authority.

“This strategy has what we need to attract investment and move projects forward—a long-term vision and commitment from government, a predictable licensing process, and market support which is crucial in these early days,” said John Woods, Vice President Energy Development, Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company Ltd.

Implementation of the strategy will start this spring with key features such as the setting of the new feed-in tariff (FIT) and development of Marine Renewable Energy Legislation anticipated to be established within the next year.

Nova Scotia’s Marine Renewable Energy Strategy can be accessed here: http://www.gov.ns.ca/energy/resources/publications/Nova-Scotia-Marine-Renewable-Energy-Strategy-May-2012.pdf

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Posted in Government, Industry Development, Marketplace support | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: oregblog | May 9, 2012

Should you be a supporter of OREG 2012 in Halifax?

The opportunity to be seen as part of Canada’s emerging marine renewables sector.

With four tidal projects on track driven by the Community Feed-in-Tariff and a focus on industrial and clean energy development, Nova Scotia is emerging as the foundation for marine renewable energy development in Canada, and North America.

The annual OREG conference taking place from September 13-14, 2012 is being held in Halifax to demonstrate that marine renewables in Canada are moving from a resource prospect and technology trial, into a phase of concentrated and accelerated development of the complete value chain that will grow into an internationally active industry.

Your involvement as an event supporter can create new business opportunity for you, can demonstrate the strength that this sector will grow and help to sustain the national association and transform it for the next phase of growth of an industry. The earlier you commit, the greater profile we can offer.

Engage with the leaders in the emergence of Canada’s tidal, wave and in-stream energy strengths. Be seen as part of that leadership.

Click here for more sponsorship details.

Contact Jessica McIlroy at project@oreg.ca with your intentions.

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Posted by: oregblog | May 1, 2012

The next generation of marine renewable energy researchers

When it comes to innovative problem solving, information-sharing, and collaboration to help advance the marine renewable energy sector – a worldwide network of early stage researchers is setting the bar high. The International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy (INORE) is a group run by and made up of PhD students, Post Docs, and early stage researchers focusing on issues related to offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy. The network began about six years ago in Norway by a few young researchers and has since built up a core membership of 384 INOREans (as they call themselves) representative of 60 countries around the world.

INORE’s mission is to create and sustain collaborations among its members and to develop working relationships with industry and government agencies involved in the development of offshore renewable energy technologies. The network creates opportunities for early stage researchers to discuss issues through workshops, a collaborative web portal, and annual symposiums to facilitate cross-pollination and ensure that their contributions become greater than the sum of their parts. The annual symposium allows for 60 members to meet in one location to discuss their research, learn from keynote speakers, and work on group activities.

Many of these researchers are addressing some of the current research questions arising from marine renewable energy development in the areas of hydrodynamics and geophysics, engineering, and biological and ecological effects. Throughout the years, OREG has supported the efforts of the network, recognizing the increasingly important role INORE plays—early researchers gaining experience today, will be the individuals that have the skills and expertise to help address questions and challenges to support a global marine renewable energy industry in the future.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with INORE and are excited about the prospect of the 2013 INORE Symposium being hosted in Nova Scotia—an initiative being led by a small group of INOREans working at Dalhousie and Acadia Universities.

Meet two of Canada’s INOREans:

Justine McMillan—Dalhousie University

I am from Truro, Nova Scotia and first got interested in tidal power when I completed my undergrad at Acadia University. For two summers, I worked with Dr. Richard Karsten to numerically model the tides in the Bay of Fundy and to assess the available power.

I then went on to the University of Alberta and completed my Master’s in Physics with a focus on internal waves. Because I remained interested in tidal power, I decided to begin my PhD in 2011 at Dalhousie University and am currently working with both Alex Hay (Dalhousie) and Richard Karsten (Acadia) to assess the potential of small-scale tidal power in the passages of Digby Neck.

Joel Culina—Acadia University

I am from Northern Ontario and did my undergrad and Masters degrees in Mathematics and Statistics in Southern Ontario.  After a stop in Alberta, I completed a PhD in Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria in B.C. 

In 2010, I became a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on numerical modeling of the Bay of Fundy resource and potential placement of turbines with Dr. Richard Karsten at Acadia University. In collaboration with Dr. Karsten and Dr. Taylor (Biology) at Acadia, I spearheaded an observational study using X-band radar to derive high-resolution current velocity maps, to complement the use of in-water acoustic devices.

This summer I am completing papers on improved turbine modeling and representation of bottom roughness in Bay of Fundy models.  I’ll also be working with Dr. Karsten to pursue contracts with power and turbine companies seeking support for their projects in the Bay of Fundy and elsewhere.

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Posted by: oregblog | April 27, 2012

Opportunity: Call for press releases

Ocean News & Technology is calling for press releases for the upcoming June issue which will feature the following topics:

  • Workclass ROVs
  • Wave & Tidal
  • Ocean Observing Systems
  • Subsea Tools & Manipulators

An article featured in this publication is a valuable opportunity to profile companies, technologies, and projects in the marine renewable energy industry and reach experience and expertise in the ocean technology and offshore oil and gas industries. This issue will also be distributed at major industry shows including Energy Ocean 2012.

The June issue of Ocean News & Technology will also feature an article from OREG, highlighting progress and opportunities in Canada’s emerging marine renewable energy industry.

Send your press release to: ocean-news@tscpublishing.com

Press release deadline is May 21

For more information about Ocean News & Technology and press release opportunities click here.

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Posted by: oregblog | April 20, 2012

Tidal FITs for innovation and cost reduction

With four community-scale projects now in the development phase, focus will now shift back to the large-scale tidal opportunity. In the upcoming months it’s anticipated that Nova Scotia’s Utility and Review Board (UARB) will begin the process to set the feed-in tariff (FIT) to support the first pilot in-stream tidal arrays. This FIT will be integral to creating a marketplace for larger scale devices that are outside the scope of Nova Scotia’s community-based FIT (COMFIT). But, just as we saw with the 2011 UARB hearings and decision on the small-scale tidal COMFIT, it will be challenging to determine the appropriate FIT design and set a rate due to uncertainties around these emerging technologies.

As tidal and wave energy becomes more of an everyday notion among the public and commercial-scale initiatives begin to emerge, the questions around costs and how to support industry development are engaging a broader audience. For example, the recent master’s thesis submitted by Julie Houde at Dalhousie University on the costs and benefits of tidal energy is an indication of the growing interest in the opportunity marine renewable energy presents. At this stage in development of the industry, attempting a cost/benefit analysis of an industrial scale development tidal energy project has to rely on assumptions and estimates that may make the results open to question, but the exercise has assembled a model, it provokes thought on how to improve the assessment, and hopefully lays the foundation for interest from future students.

All of us engaged in development of this marine industry have been working with the knowledge that such an analysis based on the costing we are currently seeing will conclude that other electricity development options have a better cost/benefit in the short-term. In fact, this analysis is the justification for using a FIT to drive that choice in a strategic direction. The countries and regions pursuing the early phases of marine renewables are doing so because of economic diversification and development opportunities rather than the immediate spin-off from the first project, or its energy.

In the 2011 Marine Renewable Energy Roadmap, the Canadian sector leadership focused on the need to drive down capital and operating costs, also a conclusion of Houde’s thesis. The Roadmap proposes to focus on accelerating that cost reduction through an industry incubation approach that maximizes sharing of infrastructure and knowledge, aggregates activity to a scale that attracts the fit for purpose industry solutions and wraps the emerging experience into an industrial team that can grow with the emerging opportunities as those costs are reduced – a learn by doing approach.  And, as OREG’s FIT discussion paper points out and the thesis essentially concludes—FITs are necessary to launch these early incubation efforts which will provide the experience and innovation critical for getting the costs of tidal energy down.

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Posted in Industry Development, Marketplace support | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: oregblog | April 16, 2012

Fundy Tidal Inc. now with four COMFIT approvals in hand

More communities around Nova Scotia will have the opportunity to participate in tidal energy development with Fundy Tidal Inc. receiving two more COMFIT approvals today for a 500 kW project in Grand Passage and a 100 kW project in Cape Breton located at Barra Strait.

These projects are in addition to Fundy Tidal Inc.’s Petit Passage and Digby Gut projects that received COMFIT approval over the winter.  The COMFIT approval guarantees a set rate of 65.2 cents/kWh for electricity produced and will help ensure that these early projects are financially viable – a critical element for the success and evolution of the marine renewable energy industry.

“This completes the three project approvals in Digby County and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to develop Cape Breton tidal sites subject to the forthcoming Strategic Environmental Assessment and its recommendations,” said Dana Morin of Fundy Tidal Inc. “The announcement of the Grand Passage approval is particularly significant as the Village of Westport is where the vision for community tidal power projects and Fundy Tidal Inc. originated.”

Nova Scotia’s emerging strategy on marine renewable energy development continues to be strengthened by this “critical mass” of community-scale tidal development, which complements the ongoing development of large-scale tidal energy opportunities underway by Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) and partners, as well as Emera. These small-scale community projects have the potential to advance rural economic opportunities while supporting aspects of large-scale commercial tidal technology development. Many of the knowledge, skills, and supply chain capacity developed through the testing and development of small-scale tidal technology will likely also support and provide linkages for the development of large-scale technology. Dana Morin explained “Fundy Tidal’s aim has been to establish Brier and Long Islands as the focal point of small-scale tidal development and as an important hub of R&D activities to inform deployments at our other sites. With four COMFIT approvals in hand, there is only one other 500 kW project in Cape Breton to complete our portfolio of 3.55 MW.”

Fundy Tidal Inc. still has multiple tasks ahead of them to realize these projects, but the COMFIT is a significant milestone for both project development and the advancement of the tidal energy industry. “It is now time to finalize partnerships and financing and meet the challenge of installing these devices in the most rugged of conditions,” said Dana Morin. “Development of these projects will help achieve national goals laid out in Canada’s Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap and will ultimately produce sustainable, green electricity from the Bay of Fundy that will be a key element in Nova Scotia’s energy supply.”

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Posted by: oregblog | April 9, 2012

Remembering Michael Tarbotton

Michael Tarbotton MSc. PEng., Principal at Triton Consultants has died after a few years of cancer challenges.

The board of OREG decided that his personal and professional commitment to the marine renewable energy opportunity be recognized in the second-ever Ocean Energy Navigator Award. 

Mary Tarbotton sent us a note: “the award and the very kind words you wrote in your letter mean a great deal to him and are very much appreciated.  Although he can no longer continue to be involved in marine energy development it is an honor that his work and commitment have been recognized”.

We will acknowledge its deserving recipient at the OREG annual event in Halifax in September.

The sector has benefitted from this early work with BC Hydro, and through the marine atlas project, but perhaps it is in the work that he began with his true friends at Acadia and at University of Victoria that he has been able to contribute to the next generation of marine renewable energy leaders.

In fact, he has many personal and professional friends across the world of ocean energy.  They have grown through working with him and their strength will ensure that hi effort leads to a successful development of an industry in which Canada will excel.

Michael was a board member at OREG for all but one year of its existence.

We speak for hundreds when we say thanks Michael for your effort and commitment.

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Posted by: oregblog | April 5, 2012

OREG 2012 Agenda Announced and Registration Now Open!

OREG 2012
September 13 & 14, 2012
Halifax, Nova Scotia

OREG’s 2012 Annual Conference agenda focuses on how to put Canada’s Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap into action. This year’s conference will feature action planning work sessions in addition to our usual updates on progress by sector leaders, and networking opportunities intended to help build connections and support emerging industry needs.

A detailed description of conference sessions is now available here.

Join industry leaders in Halifax to help turn the Roadmap’s proposed actions into reality—turning Canada’s marine energy potential into a thriving global industry that will lead to new economic opportunities and a sustainable energy source for future generations.

Registration
Early-bird registration is now open. Rates will increase by $100 on August 1st. On-site registration will be available, but at an increase amount. We encourage you to register early! Register here.

Sponsorship
Sponsorship opportunities are available. To view this year’s sponsorship options click here.

Stay tuned for further updates on speakers, potential side events, and activities during the week of the conference. You can also visit the OREG website and blog for up to date details. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Posted in Annual Conference, Events | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: oregblog | March 30, 2012

Budget 2012: What’s in store for marine renewables?

Budget 2012 - no news on EcoEnergy or SDTC but…

  • There are changes to the SR&ED program that will trim the claimable rate, but essentially maintain this as a valuable development tool, at least for Canadian-controlled private corporations.
  • The Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) aimed at small and medium enterprises has doubled its budget.
  • The new Canadian Innovation Commercialisation program has been made permanent with about $30m per year for initial government purchases/testing.
  • There will be a new Western Innovation Program, perhaps allowing WED to engage more with business innovation???
  • NRC has new funding aimed at creating industry/lab partnerships, perhaps an opportunity with IOT???
  • Canada Foundation for Innovation will have a further $100m per year, and in 2014 will have a program specifically focusing on college/industry initiatives.
  • The enhanced major projects office and proposed efforts to avoid duplication/confusion is assessments and introduce fixed times and responsibilities may influence how the current effort by NR Canada toward marine renewable energy regulation is developed.
  • There are also funding efforts aimed at venture finance development; probably a longshot for marine renewables!
  • There were no changes to the Class 43.1 and CERCE provisions that hurt its use by marine energy

All in all, while there is little that is directed at renewables and certainly nothing aimed at marine, this is a better situation than we may have been expecting!

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Posted in Funding, Government of Canada | Tags:

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