The Bay of Fundy is not to be underestimated. Its tides produce currents that are powerful and chal-lenging and have inspired and upended more than one offshore dream. That’s why Acadia University’s Tidal Energy Institute (ATEI), based in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has become essential to how Canada develops one of the world’s most powerful and complex renewable energy resources.

ATEI’s interdisciplinary research group has spent years producing the science, tools and frameworks needed to help support safe and responsible tidal power development. “Our mandate isn’t to commercialize the industry.

Our work is to establish a knowledge base that can enable the industry,” explains Dr. Anna Redden, Biology Professor and Environmental Interactions Director at ATEI.

From modeling turbine performance and site-specific energy yields to quantifying marine wildlife movements, Acadia is helping the province and developers move forward with confidence—and is aiding regulators in making decisions based on clear, defensible evidence.

That work is gaining new momentum with support from recent federal funding. Reaffirming its commitment to understanding the potential for tidal energy development, Acadia is working as a trusted facilitator of progress and in partnership with FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy), industry and the regional and international research community to address key environmental monitoring challenges.

“The research will ensure that potential ecological effects of tidal energy devices are modeled, measured and understood in real-world conditions,” Redden says.

At the heart of this work is a modular environmental-risk framework. It outlines major areas of concern and potential mitigation strategies. The framework isn’t theoretical. It is supported by an online Tidal Energy Atlas that integrates critical data—flow speeds, seabed depth, exclusion zones—into an accessible, user-friendly map.

Acadia as a convener across science, industry, and community

Collaborating with FORCE, the Ocean Tracking Network, researchers at other universities, tidal energy developers, local fishers, and knowledge holders, Acadia is focused on quantifying the risks of fish-turbine encounters. This includes innovative approaches to the use of optical and acoustic sensing technologies and sensor platforms, tracking the movements of tagged fish through Minas Passage, and quantifying forces acting on fish that pass in close proximity to turbine rotors.

“The findings will serve to reduce collision risk uncertainties and inform best practices in environmental effects monitoring that can be integrated into the monitoring plans of tidal energy developers,” Redden says.

The result is a kind of due diligence infrastructure—a layer of confidence that supports project developers, investors and regulators. Without it, the pathway to scaling Fundy’s energy potential would remain uncertain.

“Acadia’s role in tidal energy extends well beyond the waterline. Community and partner engagement lie at the core of the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute, which has proactively supported municipalities and local participants in understanding the implications of tidal energy development,” says Dr. Jeff Hennessy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University.

ATEI’s work underscores the value and importance of early relationship building, inclusive participation, and community and industry-driven research. Acadia isn’t just interested in the future of tidal energy—it’s a steward of its credibility. It provides what the industry needs most: solutions, insight, and the trust that comes from rigorous science and community engagement.

And in a time when clean energy from the tides needs to be not just possible, but proven, that trust may be the most powerful current of all.