The National Hydropower Association and Marine Renewables Canada Strengthen Ties with Historic Knowledge Sharing Agreement
Washington, DC/ Ottawa, ON (March 13, 2024) — With a shared vision of harnessing the potential of marine energy to achieve net zero goals globally, 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. This partnership underscores their commitment to fostering a thriving marine energy industry on an international scale.
This MoU represents a significant step towards achieving shared goals. 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.”
About Marine Renewables Canada
Marine Renewables Canada is the national association for tidal, offshore wind, wave and river current energy, representing 180 businesses and organizations. Since 2004, the association has worked to build the sector by advocating for supportive policies, identifying domestic and international business development opportunities for its members, facilitating collaboration amongst its membership and broader ecosystem, providing education and outreach, and disseminating market intelligence. As part of its focus on developing the sector, Marine Renewables Canada is active in catalyzing opportunities for how marine renewable energy can contribute to achieving decarbonization goals through the production of green fuels such as hydrogen, as well as displacement of diesel in remote communities and marine industries.
More at www.marinerenewables.ca
About the National Hydropower Association
The National Hydropower Association is the leading organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to preserving and expanding clean, renewable, affordable hydropower and marine energy. Its mission is to champion water power as America’s premiere carbon-free renewable energy resource. NHA promotes innovation and investment in all water power technologies, including hydropower, marine energy, and pumped storage, which can help integrate other sources of clean power, such as wind and solar.
More at www.hydro.org
Contacts:
Elisa Obermann
Marine Renewables Canada
902-817-4317
elisa@marinerenewables.ca
Malcolm Woolf
National Hydropower Association
+1 (301) 767-6698
mwoolf@hydro.org
Media Contacts: Copeland Tucker, NHA, 771-216-4699; Amanda White, MRC, 902-717-0716
