Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum 2024

The Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum is a time for researchers, academics, government and industry to gather for one day to bring forward relevant offshore wind research and development.

We will be gathering in Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 18, 2024, from 7:30am – 6:00pm AST at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel.

Register to participate in:

• 1 day of R&D in offshore wind
• Plenary sessions with R&D leaders in the industry
• Over 50 technical offshore wind presentations

Contents

Forum overview
Registration
Sponsorship
Program
Poster presentations
Networking opportunities

We're meeting at the intersection of progress and success

Researchers and technical experts will assist leaders by sharing their insights to in the development of the offshore wind sector. As new strategies and networks are being established to advance development and sustainability in the North American eastern seaboard region and globally, Nova Scotia is set to be a significant contributor.

Our collective impact will be achieved as we discuss research findings, identify gaps in R&D, and fill these areas with knowledge. We will be prepared to keep pace and be ready to recognize the opportunities as the sector steadily progresses. 

• The R&D Forum program will feature: 14+ sessions, 50+ speakers, 250+ attendees, and 1 day of concurrent speaker sessions, plenaries, keynotes, a student program, and poster sessions that will discuss every aspect of offshore wind energy under three main themes – environment, technology and policy and regulation.
• The 12 session topics will include: supply chains, permitting, grid interconnection, socioeconomics, geoscience and geotechnology, environmental effects, resource assessments and marine spatial planning.

The R&D Forum is for everyone engaged in offshore wind

As a delegate you will have access to the R&D Forum sessions, plenary and keynote, a networking reception, as well as breakfast, lunch, and refreshment breaks. 

Delegate passes and fees*

• Private sector - $375 
• Non-profit, NGO, academic, and government - $250
• Student - $50**
• Student presenter - Free
• Media pass - Free 

If your organization would like to be invoiced for delegate passes, please email your request to events@netzeroatlantic.ca 

Important notes: *Fees do not include taxes or EventBrite fees. **Proof of full-time student status is required to be eligible for the student rate. Proof can be in the form of student ID or other official documentation of enrollment. Also, if you are a student who has been approved for the Student Poster Competition or Science Slam, your registration will be free. 

If you are also interested in registering for the Marine Renewables Canada Conference, you can do so HERE. 

Media accreditation

Media credential passes are available to qualified media. Media access includes access to forum sessions only.

For a media pass, please contact Kasia Morrison, Communications and Engagement Lead at kmorrison@netzeroatlantic.ca.

Cancellation policy

Refunds will be accepted up to 14 days prior to the event. After that period, no refunds will be accepted. Noting that Eventbrite fees are non-refundable under any circumstance. If you are no longer able to attend, we encourage you to transfer your registration to a colleague, guest, or client rather than refund your ticket. Please email events@netzeroatlantic.ca to change the name on the ticket.

No invitation letters will be provided

The forum is unable to provide invitation letters for registrants outside of Canada. Out of country registrants are encouraged to secure travel visas independently.  

We are offering a multitiered as well as an affordable sponsorship program

At the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum you can easily match the level of exposure you are seeking to your budget. The range of opportunities runs from Platinum at $7,500 to Sponsor-a-student at $500.

By providing sponsorship for the R&D Forum, companies, organizations, and affiliates have the opportunity to promote their brand and gain exposure to all conference delegates. Our packages are designed to allow you to customize your sponsorship based on your budget and desired outcome. 

SPONSOR THE R&D FORUM

Agenda at a Glance 

Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum

Monday, November 18, 2024 (7:30AM - 6:00PM) 

Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel

Sessions focusing on specific topics relevant today

The Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum will provide four streams of technical advancement: plenary sessions which will span offshore wind development, as well as three specific streams focusing on technical advancement, environmental aspects, and policy and regulation. Please check back for full program details as they are released. 

Opening Remarks

8:00AM - 8:25AM 

Alisdair McLean, Chief Executive Officer, Net Zero Atlantic 

Elder Ann LaBillois, Elder in Residence, Dalhousie University 

Chuck Maillet, Vice President Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Keynotes Sessions

8:25AM - 8:50 AM

Anders Gronbech Jorgensen, Energinet - "Hubs and Spokes as a Next Step in European Collaboration to Integrate Offshore Wind"

The European Union is determined to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement. To do so, the EU is aiming at developing 300 GW of offshore wind production before 2050. The North Sea Wind Power Hub Programme investigated how to develop and integrate such massive amounts of energy and concluded that it is possible through integrated and modular hubs-and-spokes systems. The hubs collect the energy, connect production and consumption across national borders and convert electricity to hydrogen based on market signals. Intensified international collaboration is crucial to realize this vision.

Presentation

11:40AM - 12:30PM 

Graham Daborn, Acadia University - "Regional Assessment Committee - "The Offshore Wind Option for Nova Scotia"

A five-member independent committee, well supported by a seven-member Secretariat, began to examine the feasibility and acceptability of large-scale capture of wind energy in offshore regions of Nova Scotia in April 2023. The Committee was tasked with providing information, knowledge and analyses regarding future offshore wind development activities in the Study Area and the potential effects, to inform and improve future planning, licencing and impact assessment processes for offshore wind activities in a way that helps protect the environment and health, social and economic conditions and creates opportunities for sustainable economic development. After extensive engagement with the public, Indigenous communities, government agencies, fishers, academics and industry representatives, the Committee identified 8 potential development areas that might accommodate offshore wind farms and have the least conflict with other important activities such as fishing, conservation, etc.

The Draft Final Report also included 34 recommendations for the Minsters to consider regarding offshore wind development in Nova Scotia.

Presentation

Technical Sessions

9:00AM - 10:00AM 

Offshore Wind: Grid Integration

• John Dalton, Power Advisory (Moderator)
• Tershara Matthews, WSP - "Starting with the End in Mind" (abstract) (presentation)
• Cornelis Plet, DNV Energy Systems - "HVDC and the Link Between Power Transmission and Lease Area Sizing" (abstract) (presentation)
• Mahmoud Kiasari, Dalhousie University - "Grid Integration and Pathways to Market for Renewable Energy: Leveraging AI and Machine Learning" (abstract) (presentation)

10:30AM - 11:30AM 

Metocean Data: Collection and Use 

• Thomas Levy, NRCan (Moderator)
• William Perrie, Bedford Institute of Oceanography - "Estimating the Offshore Wind Resources off Nova Scotia" (abstract) (presentation)
• Lukas Swan, Dalhousie University - "Nova Scotia Offshore Wind Farm Site Considerations: Resource, Seasonality, and Integration" (abstract)

1:50PM - 2:50PM

The Role of Geoscience in Offshore Wind Projects 

• Tim Bachiu, Net Zero Atlantic (Moderator)
• Matteo Niccoli, Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board - "Geoscience Data Curation and Interpretation for Offshore Wind at the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board" (abstract) (presentation)
• Jordan Eamer, Geological Survey of Canada - "Recent Geological Data Collection and Preliminary Interpretations in Support of Offshore Wind Decision Making on the Scotian Shelf" (abstract) (presentation)
• Grant Wach, Dalhousie University and Maurice Dusseault, University of Waterloo - "Energy Storage to Support Atlantic Canada's Offshore Wind Plans" (abstract)

3:15PM - 4:15PM

Floating Offshore Wind: The New Frontier in Renewable Energy 

• Anne-Marie Belliveau, Projectable Consulting (Moderator)
• Saverio Ventrelli, Siemens Energy - "Offshore Floating Wind: Battery Energy Storage System Supporting the Decarbonization, the Bankability, and Lowering the OPEX of the Assets" (abstract) (presentation)
• Jean-Robert Fournier, SBM Offshore - "Floating Offshore Wind: Positioning Port in the Value Chain for Seamless Execution" (presentation)
• Mohammad Mahdi Aziminia - "Predictive Maintenance Scheme for Offshore Wind Turbine Using Digital Twin Model" (abstract) (presentation)

Environmental Sessions

9:00AM - 10:00AM 

Offshore Wind: Effects on Marine Life 

• Anna Redden, Acadia University (Moderator)
• Kaus Raghukumar, Integral Corp - "Towards more accurate sound source verification for offshore wind environmental permitting" (presentation)
• Benjamin Williamson, University of Highlands & Islands - "PELAGIO: Physics-to-ecosystem Level Assessment of Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms" (abstract) 
• Caitlin McGarigal, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - "A State's Approach to Developing a Regional Offshore Wind Research and Monitoring Program for Habitat, Wildlife and Fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic" (presentation)
• Andrew Gill, Cefas - "Ecological Considerations for Assessing Environmental Impacts on Fisheries Species" (presentation)

10:30AM - 11:30AM 

From Collision Avoidance to Habitat Impact: Assessing the Potential Affects of Offshore Wind on Bird and Bat Populations 

• Phil Taylor, Acadia University (Moderator)
• Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Environment and Climate Change Canada - "Framework for Assessing the Cumulative Effects of Offshore Wind Energy Development and Other Pressures on Aerofauna in Atlantic Canada" (abstract) (presentation)
• Paul Kanga, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Services - "Assessing the Vulnerability of Offshore Aerofauna to the Emerging Offshore Wind Energy Industry in Atlantic Canada" (abstract) (presentation)
• Kate Williams, Centre for Research on Offshore Wind and the Environment (CROWE), Biodiversity Institute - "Mitigating Impacts to Birds and Bats from Offshore Wind Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps"

1:50PM - 2:50PM

Marine Spatial Planning: Minimizing Impacts with Other Ocean Users 

• Kiera Walsh, Net Zero Atlantic (Moderator)
• Karl Hanke, Baird and Associates - "Navigation Impacts due to Offshore Wind Developments: Modelling of Collision and Allision Incident Frequencies" (abstract) (presentation)
• Ian Stewart, University of King's College & Christopher Milley, Nexus Coastal Resource Management  - "Recent Research on Policy and Regulatory Approaches Supporting Co-Existence in Support of Nova Scotia's Offshore Wind Development" (abstract) (presentation)
• Elizabeth Nagel, Fisheries & Oceans Canada - "Marine Spatial Planning Decision Support for Offshore Wind Planning" (presentation)

3:15PM - 4:15PM

Offshore Wind: Interactions with Invertebrates, Mammals and Turtles 

• Sarah Thomas, DP Energy (Moderator)
• Robert Lennox, Ocean Tracking Network - "The Potential of Tracking Aquatic Animals to Support Sustainable Progress in Marine Renewables" (presentation)
• Hilary Moors-Murphy, Fisheries & Oceans Canada - "Cetaceans of the Scotian Shelf and DFO Maritimes Region's Long-Term Passive Acoustic Monitoring Program" (presentation)
• Daphne Munroe, Rutgers University - "Shellfish Fisheries and Offshore Wind: Modeling the potential interactions and surveying resource changes" (presentation)

Policy & Regulatory Sessions 

9:00AM - 10:00AM

Sustaining the Seascape: Considerations for the Fisheries Sector

• Kevin Stokesbury, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - "Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates" (presentation)
• Kris Vascotto, Nova Scotia Fisheries Alliance for Energy Engagement - "Perspectives of the Seafood Sector in Gainful Co-Existence" (presentation)
• Melissa Nevin, Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs - "Offshore Wind and First Nations Fisheries" (presentation)
• Russell Dmytriw, AWCL - "Approaches to Fisheries Compensation in Nova Scotia" (presentation)

10:30AM - 11:40 AM

Emerging Best Practices in Education and Social Acceptance 

• Scott Skinner, Clean Foundation (Moderator)
• Jennifer MacNeil, Cape Breton Partnership - "Navigating an Emerging Offshore Wind Industry with Communities in Unama'ki - Cape Breton Through Two-Way Knowledge Sharing" (presentation)
• Kelsey White and Zach Sabean, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq - "Inclusive Mi'kmaw Engagement for Mainland Mi'kmaw Communities" (presentation)
• Kat Mataya, COVE - "Harnessing Offshore Wind Education: The Pathway from Learning to Leading" (presentation)
• John Colton, Acadia University - "Advancing Community Engagement Practices in MRE Development" (presentation)

3:15PM - 4:15PM 

Enabling Measures and Strategies for Future Development

• Mohammad Ali Raza, Cox & Palmer (Moderator)
• Martin Thomsen, Richmond County - "Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence - Opportunities Appraisal and Business Case: Interim Report" (abstract) (presentation)
• Courtney Wall and Katy Macdonald, Stantec Consulting - "An Assessment of the Current State of Policy to Enable Offshore Wind Development in Atlantic Canada" (abstract) (presentation)
• Blair MacDougall, Waterford Energy Services Inc - "A Technical Assessment - Offshore Wind in Nova Scotia" (abstract)

Subscribe to our mailing list to be notified when speakers are announced, and sessions confirmed.

Genevieve Philibert
Geological Survey of Canada
Geological Suitability of Eastern Canada’s Offshore for Marine Renewable Infrastructure (abstract)

Pierre-Arnaud Desiage
Geological Survey of Canada
Is the Surface Sediment Composition a Threat for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy on the Scotian Shelf: Preliminary Results and Future Projects (abstract)

Jordan Eamer
GSC
Recent Geological Data Collection and Preliminary Interpretations in Support of Offshore Wind Energy Decision Making on the Scotian Shelf (abstract)

Stephanie Avery-Gomm
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Mitigating Impacts to Birds and Bats from Offshore Wind Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps (abstract)

Mostafa Mostafavi Sani
Dalhousie University
The Investigation of Wind Turbine Implication in Decarbonizing Remote Communities in Canada: An Optimization Framework with Economic, Environmental, and Social Objectives (abstract)

Abdulhadi Ayyad
Independent Researcher / Utrecht University
Quantifying the possible contribution from offshore Floating PV to the electricity supply of Atlantic Canada (abstract)

Mohammad Masoumiasl
University of Iran
Optimizing Power System Integration of Double-fed Induction Generator Wind Turbines and HFCs: A Multi-Objective Framework (abstract)

Kory Melchoir
Dalhousie University
Developing an Energy Management System Based on Machine Learning Forecasting of Renewable Energy Systems (abstract)

Mehrnaz Ahmadi
Dalhousie University
Advancing Underwater Communication: Introducing the Filtering Augmented with Adaptive Iterations Model (abstract)

Adango Miadonye
Cape Breton University
Feasibility Study of Offshore Wind Installation in Nova Scotia with Emphasis on Cape Breton Island (abstract)

Tamara Wilson
Dalhousie University
Monitoring Offshore Ocean Currents Using High-frequency Radar (abstract)

Adam Comeau
Dalhousie University
Glider Based Ocean Sampling in Atlantic Canada (abstract)

Shiva Talebi
Dalhousie University
Enhancing Renewable Energy Integration through Multi-Objective Optimization (abstract)

Nicholas Legge
Dalhousie University
Modelling the impact of Long-Duration Energy Storage for Nova Scotia's Wind Energy Transition (abstract)

Jacob Thompson
Wiwasolvent Total Primary Energy Solutions
Nova Scotia's Hourly and Climate Wind Data, Energy Storage, Hydrogen, and Approaching 100% Renewable Energy Using Wind-Water-Solar with EnergyPLAN (abstract)

Eliza Batchelder
University of Victoria
Navigating the Social Seas: Using mental models to understand stakeholder perceptions of offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine (abstract)

Mahdi Ghaffari
Dalhousie University
Navigating the Social Seas: Using mental models to understand stakeholder perceptions of offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine (abstract)

Mehrnaz Ahmadi
Dalhousie University
Minimizing the Voltage Regulation to Enhance the Microgrid Stability Using Hybrid Optimization Approaches for Offshore Wind Integration (abstract)

Firas Marsit
University of West Brittany
Enhancing Coexistence Between Offshore Wind Energy and Fishing: A Regulatory and Policy Challenge (abstract)

Abdullah Mohammed Atiq
Dalhousie University
Weighing Opportunities and Risks: Creating a Comprehensive Evaluation Framework for Nova Scotia’s Offshore Wind Sector (abstract)

Mostafa Mostafavi Sani
Dalhousie University
The Investigation of Wind Turbine Implication in Decarbonizing Remote Communities in Canada: An Optimization Framework with Economic, Environmental, and Social Objectives (abstract)

Get to know each other in social settings

The Wind Energy Exchange Networking Reception will take place from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM at the same location as the forum, the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. This reception offers delegates an opportunity to network in a more relaxed, social setting. Additionally, there will be opportunities to connect with fellow attendees during the networking breaks throughout the program

Our networking opportunities double as popular conduits for sponsors to express their leading role.