Organizations from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are showing their commitment to developing the marine energy sector through a collaborative agreement signed by Marine Renewables Canada and Marine Energy Wales in late November.
MRC and MEW serve similar roles, acting as advocates for wave, tidal and instream power by representing project developers, utilities, researchers and supply chain stakeholders. MRC is providing significant support for Canada’s Fundy Ocean Research Center (FORCE), with developers including OpenHydro, DP Energy, Atlantis Resources, Schottel and Tocardo hoping to deploy marine energy units at the Bay of Fundy test bed in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Wales is home to more than US$106 million in European Union financing earmarked to stimulate the country’s marine energy sector which, according to a number of recent studies, could explode into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Wales is also home to marine energy test sites of its own, including the recently apportioned Morlais Marine Energy Demonstration Zone.
“The ultimate goal is to create a new low carbon global industry, where skills and knowledge are exportable worldwide,” MEW Director David Jones said. “Wales is developing those skills. Collaborating with Marine Renewables Canada and sharing experiences will be a real benefit moving forward.”
FORCE marked a milestone earlier this month as Cape Sharp Tidal — a joint venture between OpenHydro and Emera — deployed and connected a 2-MW turbine to Nova Scotia’s grid.
— Hydro Review Magazine, www.hydroworld.com/, January 2017