Energy, Society, and the Environment/Nova Scotia's Wind Farming Prospects

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is the second most eastern province in Atlantic Canada, and is mostly surrounded by the Atlantic ocean. Nova Scotia, being a maritime province, can be subject to higher than average wind speeds along it's coast. Westward winds rolling in from the ocean can be higher than average, and persist almost year round. Average wind speeds in Nova Scotia can range between 39.4 km/h (10.92 m/s) and 12.8 km/h (3.55 m/s) depending on the time of year and location (Keys et al, 2017 ).

For economic viability Wind turbines are typically built in areas with windspeeds that average at or above 7 m/s at an elevation at or above 80 meters which is fairly common in many areas of the province (Patel & Dowdell, 2018). Cape Breton in particular is a very mountainous region in it's northern parts and generally has windspeeds beyond the minimum 7 m/s for economic viability. Nova Scotia also has very high average wind velocities along the south-western coasts near Yarmouth, Barrington Passage, and Digby (Keys et al, 2017 ). Nova Scotia also has a high potential for off-shore wind farms though many variables make it extremely difficult to implement in an economical way (Patel & Dowdell, 2018).

Many struggles exist for wind farming in Nova Scotia. Some persist in areas in which communities exist. Constraints can be that some lands which may be suitable are indigenous lands that cannot be built on without consent (Patel & Dowdell, 2018). With off-shore farming the largest challenge is the salinity of water surrounding Nova Scotia . The high concentration of salt accelerates corrosion causing an increased need of maintenance and/or replacement of turbines making extremely difficult to make economical (Patel & Dowdell, 2018).

Energy demand in Nova Scotia had a total end-usage of approximately 179PJ in 2017 of which approximately 1.2 TWh were produced from wind (approximately 4PJ) (CER, 2021). It is believed however if all high quality wind farming land is used the province could produce almost 60% of the energy required by the province after accounting for lands which would be deemed to be encroachment or inappropriate if built on (this accounts for approximately 25% of all suitable land) (Patel & Dowdell, 2018).

Though there is much progress ahead for renewable energy in Nova Scotia, in 2018 Nova Scotia was able to meet about 24% (about 2.4 TWh) of total energy demand utilizing renewable sources (CER, 2021). While this number is inadequate with respect to the end-goal; the province is currently on track to produce approximately 60% of it's total energy needs through renewable sources by 2022 (Nova Scotia Power, 2021).

Bibliography:

Canada Energy Regulator (CER). "Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles - Nova Scotia". Last modified on February 26th, 2021. Gotten from: www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles-nova-scotia.html#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20annual%20electricity%20consumption,was%20residential%20at%204.5%20TW.

Key, K., Garron, E., Oikle, D., Quigley, E., Neily, P., McGrath, T., Bruce, J. (2017). "Digital Wind Exposure Map for Nova Scotia". Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.

MeteoBlue, "Climate Nova Scotia Island". Gotten from: www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/nova-scotia-island_canada_6091531

Nova Scotia Power (2021). "Clean & Green". Gotten from: www.nspower.ca/cleanandgreen

Patel, S., Dowdell, E. (2018). "Nova Scotia Energy Market Profile". University of Alberta Future Energy Systems. Gotten from: www.futureenergysystems.ca

Continued Reading:

Barrington-Leigh, C., Ouliaris, M. (2017). "The Renewable Energy Landscape in Canada: A Spatial Analysis". Elsevier.

U,S, Department of Energy. "How do Wind Turbines Work?" Available at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/how-do-wind-turbines-work#:~:text=Wind%20turbines%20work%20on%20a,a%20generator%2C%20which%20creates%20electricity.