Over the last year, Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) strengthened its efforts to understand the role that tidal stream energy can play in Canada’s clean energy future by welcoming new board members, a new chair, and a new science position at FORCE.
Dr. Louise McGarry joined FORCE as hydroacoustician. FORCE also welcomed Doug Keefe, who led FORCE as executive director from 2009-2014 as chair; Donald Grant, executive director, Ocean Start Up Projeact at Innovacorp, as an independent director; and Jamie MacNeil, county manager for Bigmoon Power, as a berth holder director.
“Tidal stream technology has the potential to help us address climate change and move towards a more diverse array of renewable energy sources,” says FORCE general manager Tony Wright. “Getting this right takes good leadership: we’ve been very lucky to add Louise, Don, and Jamie to the team, and we’re so glad to have Doug return to lead our team again as chair – he helped found FORCE in 2009, and has been an asset to the tidal sector ever since.”
Doug Keefe says: “I’m grateful to be chair during a new era at FORCE. When I was executive director, we were focussed on building a facility. Now, we’re really focussed on building our knowledge of the environment. Both of these are important to supporting the work of the next technology pioneers, as well as building good public policy, informed by good science. I’m also really glad Paul Jamer is remaining on the board as past chair, he’s been an incredible asset.”
“I am delighted to join the staff at FORCE to advance the very important work of environmental monitoring in and around Minas Passage,” says Dr. McGarry. “The impressive flow speeds that make sites, such as Minas Passage, favorable to tidal energy development present unique challenges for data collection and analyses. Bringing my hydroacoustics expertise to work on these challenges is exciting and allows me to contribute to our collective knowledge of the fish moving through the site as we address the very important need to develop clean energy sources.” [Read a brief profile of Louise here]