The Renewable Electricity Plan in Nova Scotia, the Plan Nord in Quebec, the Green Energy Act in Ontario and the Clean Energy Act in British Columbia have all adopted aggressive renewable electricity targets. The Government of Canada is committed to reducing Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 % from 2005 levels by 2020 – a target that is inscribed in the Copenhagen Accord and aligned with the United States. To meet this commitment, the Federal Government has been implementing regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, has introduced new regulations on coal-fired electricity generation and announced funding in the 2011 budget to advance clean energy technology research, development and demonstrations.

Strategy and National Targets
With the development of the Canadian Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap, the sector set targets of 75 MW by 2016, 250 MW by 2020 and 2 GW by 2030 for installed in-stream tidal, river-current and wave energy generation. The Nova Scotia Government is undertaking the development of a sector strategy to “create the winning conditions” for a tidal energy industry with initial discussions of development targets of 65 MW by 2015 and 300 MW to follow in 5-10 years. The Government of Quebec launched the Plan Nord in 2011 and identified a 200 MW development target for non-traditional renewables, such as tidal and river-current energy.

Support Initiatives and Market Stimulation Incentives
Over the last five years, Canada has contributed an estimated $75 million (CAD) in federal and provincial support to marine energy development projects. At the provincial level, the Government of Nova Scotia launched a community-based feed-in tariff (COMFIT) programme, in September 2011, to encourage the development of local renewable energy projects by municipalities, First Nations, cooperatives, universities, local economic development corporations and nonprofit groups. Under the COMFIT programme, Nova Scotia will allow local community groups to connect small-scale in-stream tidal arrays (under 500 kW) to the electrical grid at the distribution level at a feed-in tariff price of 65.2 c/kWh, (CAD) over a 20-year contract. Nova Scotia’s COMFIT programme is believed to be the first in North America to pay for community-owned tidal power projects.

Quebec’s Plan Nord is an economic development strategy for northern Quebec. Clean energy development is fundamental to any industrial (mostly mining) proposals that will be generated and major electricity development targets include 200 MW of non-wind, non-hydro and likely hydrokinetic generation developments.
British Columbia’s Clean Energy Act enabled emerging energy feed-in tariffs for six resources including wave, tidal and river current. Work on regulations and implementation plans await a launch signal, which may be seen as early as 2012.

Main Public Funding Mechanisms
To date, Canada’s main public funding programmes supporting national research, development, and demonstrations are the Clean Energy Fund (CEF), the Programme for Energy Research and Development (PERD), the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII), which are all administered through the Office of Energy Research and Development (OERD) at NRCan. While none of these programmes have been specific to marine energy, it is estimated that over $28 million (CAD) has been committed to marine renewable energy RD&D. In addition, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, an arm’s length foundation created by the Government of Canada, has committed approximately $20 million (CAD) to develop and demonstrate projects that include tidal, wave and low head hydro technologies. The CEF was critical to the FORCE cabling infrastructure, providing $20 million (CAD) to support cabling infrastructure and related R&D. Cable procurement occurred in 2011 with installation expected in 2012.

The National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Programme has supported many early technology assessment and physical and numerical modelling trials. Most projects have benefitted from the refundable tax credit for Scientific Research and Experimental Development. Many projects have also received support from provincial economic development agencies.

Nova Scotia has directly invested in the FORCE development initiative and, through the Offshore Energy Environmental Research Association, supported a Strategic Environmental Assessment and two thirds of the funding for 22 strategic research projects in marine energy (estimated to be approximately $8 million (CAD)). In addition, provincial economic development agencies and funds (in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia (BC)) have provided at least $10 million (CAD) to support projects. The Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG) estimates that more than $75 million (CAD) has been committed, leveraging a further 1 ½ times as much from other funders or private investments.

Relevant Legislation and Regulation
In Canada, provincial Governments have exclusive jurisdiction over the development and management of sites and facilities for the generation of electrical power within the boundaries of their respective provinces. As a consequence, decisions regarding the generation of electricity from marine renewable energy resources, including the allocation of land and rights, are made by each province. A number of provinces are working towards comprehensive policy or regulatory frameworks for marine renewable energy development within their boundaries. Nova Scotia has issued “Guidelines for Permitting of a Pre-Commercial Demonstration Phase for Offshore Renewable Energy Devices” and is working towards a marine renewable energy legislative framework, which is expected in 2012.

New Brunswick has designed a comprehensive policy for the “Allocation of Crown Lands for Tidal In-Stream Energy Conversion Projects”. Details on implementation of Quebec’s Plan Nord are expected early in 2012. An amendment to the BC Clean Energy Act is expected in 2012 with the feed-in tariff unchanged, although its implementation may be delayed. British Columbia has issued an Interim Policy Directive and Land Use Operational Policy for ocean energy projects. There is the potential for many renewable energy projects to be situated in areas outside of the boundaries of a province, in marine areas under federal jurisdiction. In these circumstances, the Federal Government is responsible for making decisions regarding marine renewable energy development, including the allocation of land and rights.

However, regardless of where a marine renewable energy project is situated, the Federal Government’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following acts: Fisheries Act, Navigable Waters Protection 45 Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. In 2011, the Government of Canada announced the $4 million (CAD) Marine Renewable Energy Enabling Measures programme to enable Natural Resources Canada work towards the development of a policy framework for administering renewable energy activity in the federal offshore. Ongoing collaboration between provincial Governments and the Government of Canada is anticipated as Governments continue to develop efficient and effective regulatory frameworks for administrating renewable energy developments.

Relevant documents released

• Canada’s Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap was released in November at the OREG 2011 conference in Montreal. This document is the result of a year of contributions by about 100 sector members
  www.oreg.ca/index.php?p=1_58_Marine-Energy-TRM
   
• In July, CanmetENERGY released the Marine Energy Sector Profile and Early-Stage Supply Chain reports. OREG’s discussion paper “The Role of Feed-in Tariffs: Moving Ocean Energy Ahead in Canada” has been an input to the feed-in tariff (FIT) development processes:
  www.oreg.ca/web_documents/oreg_the_role_of_fits.pdf
   
• In 2011, the Nova Scotia Government reported on consultations toward legislation actions to support the development of the marine renewable energy sector: 
  www.gov.ns.ca/energy/resources/spps/public-consultation/marine-renewable-energy/Fournier-Report-English.pdf
   
• In a significant step toward an industry development plan, Nova Scotia also released the Marine Renewable Energy Infrastructure Assessment Report looking at the capacity to support development:
  www.gov.ns.ca/energy/renewables/explore-invest/recent-reports.asp
   
• The Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) released its first environmental assessment and monitoring reports in October 2011
  www.fundyforce.ca/assessment, fundyforce.ca/monitoring  

Government Funded R&D
FORCE, Offshore Energy Environmental Research (OEER) and the Fundy Energy Research Network (FERN) in Nova Scotia have launched a suite of strategic research and monitoring initiatives. Research activities to date can be found at www.offshoreenergyresearch.ca/Home/TidalEnergyResearch/tabid/386/Default.aspx  In the last couple of years, marine energy research has been conducted at the University of Victoria, University of Winnipeg, Acadia University, Dalhousie University, and College of the North Atlantic. Marine energy research activities at universities have been growing with around 12 graduate students and focused research grants of approximately $5 million (CAD) in place. 

The Marine Energy Technology team at CanmetENERGY (an NRCan laboratory) is supporting and conducting technology-focused research, and is the only Federal Government team that is focused on marine energy. The CanmetENERGY Marine Energy Team is currently engaged in marine energy research to support the development of standards, technology advancement, resource characterization, and monitoring equipment. CanmetENERGY is also supporting the Canadian effort for developing international standards for this sector and has supported the development of the industry-lead Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap.

The Geological Survey of Canada, another area within NRCan, has projects focusing on understanding sea floor geomorphology and dynamics and potential impacts to marine energy project siting.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is the Federal Government department leading the efforts on environmental impacts research. DFO is currently working on a project that develops pathways of effects (PoEs) models for each major form of offshore renewable energy technology. The next stages will
include the assignment of levels of risk and identification of major regulatory decision points with the intent to produce a development of environmental regulatory guidance document in 2012.

Participation in Collaborative International Projects
The Clean Energy Dialogue was established between Canada and the United States in February 2009 to enhance joint collaboration on the development of clean energy science and technologies to reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.

In September 2011, Canada and the United Kingdom signed a joint declaration to ensure a stronger partnership for the 21st century. One of the topics pointed to in the declaration states “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”. FORCE and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) joined in a strategic relationship in 2011 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Collaborative activities under this relationship may include, but are not limited to, activities in the scientific and technical areas of mutual interest. In June 2011 Canada relinquished the chair of the IEC TC114 committee but the Canadian contribution to the standards initiative continues with experts participating in all 8 active project teams. 

• New Energy continues to work with resellers in India and Alaska in pilot in-stream project development. 
• Sabella Energie Inc. continues the development of river and marine current technologies in collaboration with French project partners. 
• Clean Current Power Systems has completed its work with Alstom in support of the commercial-scale version of their tidal generator, and is now developing and testing its new rivercurrent device.
• Powertech Labs and Triton Consultants have provided feasibility assessment advice to Korean utility projects. SMRU Ltd (Canada) is collaborating with Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Centre and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on US Department of Energy (DOE) funded project investigating impact of noise on the marine environment from tidal in-stream energy converters (Snohomish Public Utility District project focus). 

Operational Ocean Energy Projects
Open Hydro, the first deployment at the FORCE test centre in Nova Scotia, recovered their turbine from the site in December 2010. The device was still on station and the retrieval was successful. Blade failures had occurred and data analysis determined that the failures occurred during exposure to the second spring tides.

RER - Renewable Energy Research deployed the TREK turbine in Montreal Harbour in the second half of 2010. The operator reports 10,000 hours of energy production.

The original Clean Current Power Systems generator has been recovered from the Race Rocks demonstration site after five years of deployment for analysis of fouling and corrosion. As North America’s first prototype large-scale tidal generator, it will be exhibited in Canada’s Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.

New Developments
There was ongoing marine energy converter technology development in 2011 by Clean Current Power Technology, Grey Island Energy, Mavi Innovations, New Energy Technology, RER, Sabella Energie and Seawood Designs. Six technology developers used the National Research Council’s Institute for Ocean Technology (NRC-IOT) as a testing facility for model validations and tow tank work. Powertech Labs completed work to help improve river-current and wave energy device designs. Triton Consultants has been working on advancing regional and site-scale resource modelling for wave and tidal energy.
Alstom Hydro has been finalising design and building a full commercial-scale prototype of the device originally developed by Clean Current Power Systems.
After a slow-down in the permitting process, the Canoe Pass project to deploy 2 x 250kW New Energy
EnCurrent generators is on track for 2012 deployment. The cabling to allow a 65MW capacity installation at FORCE has been delivered for a 2012 installation.
Atlantis Marine Resources and its partners Lockheed Martin and JD Irving have been selected as the fourth berthholder for deployment at FORCE. They join the three other berth holders: Alstom, MCT /Minas Basin Pulp and Power, and Open Hydro / Nova Scotia Power.
A first deployment of the Sabella river generator is planned for 2012 in Montreal Harbour.
A new river-current testing and development site is being identified by Manitoba Hydro and the University
of Manitoba.
Emera has indicated that it is assembling partners to begin planning a 40MW tidal development for Nova
Scotia, with the aim of contributing to the first Marine Renewable Energy Technologies Roadmap target
for 2016.