Canadians join forces to advance renewable ocean energy

November 25, 2022, by Amir Garanovic

Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) and Marine Renewables Canada (MRC) have formed a collaborative partnership to share knowledge and support the advancement of marine renewable energy in Canada.

L to R: Elisa Obermann; Kendra MacDonald (Courtesy of Marine Renewables Canada)

The agreement, signed in Halifax, will increase and formalize the partners’ collaboration particularly in the areas of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

Only requiring wind and water’s natural movement to create power, marine renewable energy has the potential to provide sustainable energy sources, thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting Canada’s path to net zero.

In their partnership, OSC and MRC will work together to generate increased awareness, innovation, investment, and opportunity in the development and use of marine renewables in Canada.

More specifically, the partnership will include knowledge exchange and transfer on offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy, annual meetings and continuous relationship development, the facilitation of networking, exchange of best practices and collaboration initiatives between OSC and MRC member, and cross promotion and raising of public awareness on the advancement of marine renewables.

Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, said: “As the world begins to transition to more renewable energy sources, it creates significant opportunity for sustainable offshore energy growth. Canada has the wind and water but will require significant collaboration and investment to advance these industries and compete globally.”

Additionally, the partnership between OSC and MRC extends beyond Canada with the European Leaders of Blue Energy (ELBE) Alliance partnership announced earlier in 2022.

ELBE gathers seven European clusters with top expert companies and research and development organizations in blue energy to tackle the expansion of renewable blue energy beyond Europe. The triparty collaboration plans hope to unlock partnership and business development opportunities for Canadian companies at home and abroad.

Elisa Obermann, executive director of MRC, said: “Canada’s marine renewable energy resources have enormous potential to contribute to national and international decarbonization goals, but there is still a lot of work to be done to address challenges and advance the sector.

“By partnering with OSC, we will be able to foster collaboration amongst our memberships, facilitate innovation, and ultimately drive growth of the marine renewable energy sector in Canada.”