University of Ottawa

Purpose

The Project is a field validation of the national assessment of hydrokinetic power, presently being developed by NRC to estimate hydrokinetic power potential in rivers throughout Canada and for Atlantic Canada. Hydrokinetic power production involves installation of low-head kinetic turbines directly in a river; by obviating the need for a dam, capital costs are reduced and the negative environmental consequences of river impoundment are eliminated. The national assessment will provide hydrokinetic power entrepreneurs a first-order estimate of the availability of power at a particular site, and thus will be an essential tool to encourage development of this sustainable resource. The national assessment involves desktop estimation of the velocity and depth for all of Canada’s rivers. In order to validate these estimates, ground truthing is necessary by conducting field surveys. The Project will provide field estimates of both reach averaged and local velocity and depth across a range of discharges at candidate sites.