The Nova Scotia Department of Energy released its Renewable Electricity Plan today with North America’s first tidal energy feed-in-tariff.  The Nova Scotia Provincial Government states it will “continue to invest in tidal energy research and development in the hopes that our unique tidal resource can eventually make a significant contribution to our energy needs. To encourage this development, this plan establishes a community-based feed-in tariff (COMFIT) for distribution connected tidal projects, as well as a special FIT covering direct incremental costs related to device deployment for developmental tidal arrays connected to the grid at the transmission level.”

The Renewable Electricity Plan further commits to supporting tidal energy through the creation of a Marine Renewable Energy Task Force.  This interdepartmental task force, assisted by the private sector, will develop strategies for the commercialisation of marine renewable energy and the human resources needed to support them.

The Plan builds on the existing goal of 15% renewable by 2015, extending the goal to 40% by 2020.

This is a very interesting development and a way for Nova Scotia to position themselves in the Clean Energy space.  It will be fun to follow this development and see if they will attract a similar gold rush to NS as we are currently seeing for Solar companies in ON.  Wonder what type of FIT Alberta will develop?

See further at  Nova Scotia Department of Energy

Nova Scotia Renewable Electricity Plan (in PDF)