Marine Renewables Canada and the National Hydropower Association strengthen ties

The National Hydropower Association (NHA) in the United States and Marine Renewables Canada (MRC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the development of marine energy resources.

Both organizations are prominent advocates for marine energy in their respective countries and are committed to advancing marine energy solutions. 

By leveraging their respective expertise and resources, NHA and MRC aim to drive innovation, overcome challenges, and accelerate the transition towards a clean energy future by strengthening and growing marine energy potential.

Marine energy presents a significant opportunity to decarbonize energy portfolios in the U.S. and Canada, offering deployment possibilities in offshore power, “Blue Economy” markets, rural and remote communities, and utility-scale grid applications.

According to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), marine energy resources in the United States alone are estimated to be as high as 2,300 terawatt hours per year, equivalent to 56% of the nation’s total electricity generation in 2021. Utilizing just one-tenth of these resources equals 5.6% of total electricity generation and could power over 22 million homes. For comparison, all domestic installed hydropower and solar power capacity each generated approximately 5.6% of total U.S. electricity in 2023.

Canada boasts some of the world’s most promising tidal, wave, river current, and offshore wind energy resources. Over the past decade, the country has made significant strides in developing its marine renewable energy sector, with ongoing tidal energy projects in the Bay of Fundy and efforts to displace diesel in remote communities with marine energy solutions.

Elisa Obermann, Executive Director of Marine Renewables Canada, expressed optimism about the collaboration, stating,

“At this stage in industry development, we need to work together to advance marine energy to a truly commercial clean energy solution. This strengthened collaboration with NHA will support our collective memberships in tackling challenges and bolster U.S. and Canadian efforts to address joint priorities for sector growth.”

“While progress is being made in the marine energy sector, there are still challenges to growing the sector in the United States and internationally,” added Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO of NHA, highlighting the significance of the partnership. “By working more closely with Marine Renewables Canada, we hope to collaborate on key challenges, build partnerships amongst our memberships, and share information and best practices that can help accelerate the sector’s development.”