Oregon Wave Energy Trust

Launch of the Canadian Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap

View Original Source at Ocean Renewable Energy Group

November 2nd, 2011

The Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap was unveiled today at the Ocean Renewable Energy Group (OREG) 2011 Annual Conference in Montreal today. The Honourable, Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, was on hand to receive the first printed copy of the roadmap. Designed to secure Canada as a world leader in marine renewable development, the Roadmap outlines Canada’s collaborative efforts to advance the commercialization of marine energy technologies while sharpening its global competitiveness.

“Over 100 organizations contributed to the Roadmap – helping build a plan that could support hundreds more,” said OREG Executive Director Chris Campbell. “Canada can be the business leader in marine renewables that we have seen Denmark be for the wind industry.”

“The momentum for marine renewables, and tidal energy in particular, continues to grow,” said Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) Executive Director and OREG Chair Doug Keefe. “In less than a year, the Roadmap has gone from an idea to a reality: clear evidence that governments, the private sector, and research community see opportunities in the emerging global industry where Canada has natural, competitive advantages.”

“The Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap demonstrates how government, industry and academia are working together to advance marine energy,” said Minister Oliver. “Canada is well positioned to become a world leader in offshore renewable energy due to our unique geography, our abundant resources and our growing expertise in ocean engineering and offshore operations.”

Leadership roles taken by British Columbia Hydro and Nova Scotia’s Emera have reinforced that this Roadmap is an essential step to ensure that marine renewable energy can provide the maximum benefit to Canadians.”

James Taylor commented, “This Roadmap is the first strategy building effort that has involved provincial and federal government staff, utilities from both coasts, project and technology developers, some large industrial companies and the research community.” Mr. Taylor recently retired from a senior management position with Nova Scotia Power and chaired the Roadmap work. “A few years ago I was involved in the Clean Coal Roadmap that has been a successful stimulus for government and industry, and I am really proud of the work that our government, university and industry team put into this plan,” he added.

“We already are the only country selling river current generators, supply wave and current monitoring equipment worldwide and have seen Alstom develop a Canadian tidal technology to be the world’s first 2MW system,” says Campbell, “but a strength in Canada is the strategy we are seeing emerge around tidal opportunities in Nova Scotia.”

Nova Scotia recently accepted applications for a number of projects under its community feed-in tariff; a special price for community-controlled tidal projects to connect to their distribution grid. FORCE is about to install cables in Minas Passage that may allow the worlds first arrays of generators in pilot power plants in the next few years, and the Province of Nova Scotia is about to release an industry development strategy and associated legislation.

“We are in Quebec this week in part to support companies like RER and Sabella Energie who are working in Montreal harbour to develop current generators, but also because we see the Government of Quebec’s Plan Nord, and Hydro Quebec’s interest in these ‘hydrokinetic’ projects as another step along this roadmap,” said Marcel Boridy, past OREG chair and VP of Montreal’s Sabella. The Montreal region also hosts some of the large industrial companies like Alstom, Andritz, Rolls Royce and Voith who are engaged in marine energy development worldwide.

“This Roadmap is about reinforcing an incubation or collaborative approach, adding together the ’sum of the parts’. The momentum is showing that other supporting industrial strengths in the marine, ocean technology, power and manufacturing sectors have an emerging business opportunity, and can help us with their skills and experience,” concludes Campbell.

In a move that reinforces the momentum around marine renewable energy the US Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Roadmap was released by Washington’s Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition.

Reaching Out

Did You Know?

Oregon is a leader in wave energy.

Oregon focuses on a collaborative model for getting wave energy projects in the water.

That Oregon’s Coastline is among a few places in the world that has the key elements to tap into wave energy?

That Oregon can enjoy an abundance of energy generated by ocean waves?

That our state contains internationally- recognized experts who are leading efforts to responsibly develop wave energy?

That Oregon has capacity to build, maintain and deliver sustainable wave energy power to the grid?

Have You Heard?

No Recent Tweets from OWET.

Membership

Join Us.

Become a member for Oregon’s future.

Why support Oregon Wave Energy Trust?

Wave energy is one key part of the comprehensive alternative energy solution for Oregon. And thanks to a combination of unique characteristics is the only source of energy where Oregon enjoys such a clear competitive advantage. As a result, Oregon’s wave energy industry provides myriad opportunities to deliver significant economic benefits to the state.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) works closely with our state- wide stakeholders: fishing and environmental groups, coastal communities and industry, government agencies and other partners in responsibly developing this new industry while establishing Oregon as the North American leader in wave energy. The work that we do is the real benefit we offer our members.

Our Founding Partners

Oregon Wave Energy Trust was funded in part with Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by the Oregon Business Development Department. It is one of six Oregon Innovation Council initiatives supporting innovation and long term economic growth.