3-D modelling and assessment of tidal current resources in the Bay of Fundy, Canada

The Bay of Fundy, located between the Canadian Provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is home to the world’s largest tides and has long been identified as one of the world’s premier resources of tidal energy. This paper describes the development of a high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of tidal flows in the Bay of Fundy, and its application to help quantify and assess the kinetic energy resource throughout the Bay. Information on the scale and character of the tidal currents and the associated kinetic energy resource is presented herein for three of the most energetic parts of the Bay: near Long Island, Passamaquoddy Bay and Minas Passage (where a $70 million pre-commercial deployment of in-stream turbines is presently underway).