FORCE encourages the exploration of tidal stream energy technology by providing common infrastructure, environmental monitoring and applied research, including:
- Onshore assets: substation, observation centre, and meteorological data
- Offshore assets: 11km subsea cable network and environmental sensor platforms
- Multi-party input, oversight, and analysis of environmental monitoring and research
- Transparent, public access to all monitoring reports
- Ongoing conversation with stakeholders, Rights-holders, industry, public, and government as project evolves
Our shared infrastructure consists of four berths connected by submarine cable to shore-based underground cable ducts and an electrical substation. Our facility is connected directly to the Nova Scotia electrical grid via a purpose-built 10 km transmission line. Our 370 sq m facility houses both a visitor centre and research facilities.
FORCE’s test site is in the Minas Passage area of the Bay of Fundy near Black Rock, 10 kilometres west of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. Minas Passage, only 5 km wide and bordered by basalt cliffs, is the entrance to Minas Basin, the region of the world’s highest tides.
At mid-tide, the current in Minas Passage is about 4 cubic kilometres per hour, the same as the estimated combined flow of all the rivers and streams on Earth combined.
About 160 billion tonnes of water flows through the Bay of Fundy each tide, equal to four times the estimated flow of all the freshwater rivers in the world combined.
With the incoming tide, the current in Minas Passage can exceed 20 kilometres an hour, as approximately 14 billion tonnes of sea water flows through Minas Passage into Minas Basin, and central Nova Scotia tilts slightly under the immense load.
Considered ideal for tidal stream devices, the site was selected after roughly 12 months and $1 million in research. Nova Scotia Power tested a 1 megawatt OpenHydro turbine at this site between November 2009 and December 2010.
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