Research

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We facilitate research into environmental and societal considerations related to renewable energy technologies, cleantech initiatives and geoscience. It’s our goal to enable sustainable development of Nova Scotia's energy resources. 

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Research Priorities

Our current research priorities focus on environmental and societal considerations related to renewable energy technologies, cleantech initiatives and geoscience.  We prioritize areas of research based on information gathered through workshops and interviews with industry, academia, government and international collaborators. Our research priorities address current knowledge gaps and are integral to developing and commercializing energy resources in Nova Scotia. Our research priorities are updated annually and determine our focus for the following two to three years.

Renewable Energy


Improved Environmental Monitoring Techniques and Data Research 
Introduce new or improved environmental monitoring techniques and/or approaches suited to high-flow marine environments. Develop new tools and approaches to improve the quality, reliability and diversity of environmental data available to the sector. Pursue research and investigative testing that generates new knowledge and skills to support the sector. 

Improvements to Marine Operations
Improve or enhance marine operations capacity and efficiencies in high-flow tidal environments.  Projects applicable to more than one tidal technology type are preferred.

General Cost Reductions   
Develop or improve methods, techniques, and technologies that help reduce risk, uncertainty and costs associated with tidal energy development.

Geoscience 


Basin Evolution 
Evolution of the Scotian Basin between the early Triassic and early Cretaceous: crustal evolution, paleogeography, failed versus favoured extension centers; the control, movement and accumulation of sediments, and the formation and maturation of hydrocarbon source and reservoir rocks. 

Reservoir Distribution/Reservoir Quality
Reservoir delivery stories across the Scotian Basin: providence, reservoir quality, localized and regional mapping with a focus on paleographic settings and sediment delivery into deep water and/or new basins.

Source Rock/Petroleum Geochemistry
The petroleum geochemistry of source rocks, particularly in deep water Nova Scotia.

Biostratigraphy, Sequence Stratigraphy
History of sedimentation in offshore Nova Scotia between the Triassic to middle Jurassic periods. Aspects of this work include biostratigraphy, provenance, thermal history and the nature of the hydrocarbon systems.

New Depositional and Petroleum Systems Modeling
Geologic ideas and concepts created through the integration of basin evolution, geochemistry and stratigraphy applied through a depositional and/or petroleum systems modeling approach.