Our guest this week on the Insights Podcast is Elisa Obermann, the Executive Director of Marine Renewables Canada (MRC), an industry association headquartered in Halifax with more than 200 members. In this podcast, Elisa talks about the various forms of marine renewable energy, including energy from rivers, waves, tides, and offshore wind. The focus of her association is advocacy and the development of a robust supply chain for renewables in Canada. Interestingly, MRC’s recent conference attracted more than 700 attendees, underscoring the growing interest in this sector. The biggest opportunity is clearly offshore wind, where MRC has set a goal of 30 GW by 2050. For perspective, Nova Scotia currently uses about 2.3 GWs of electricity annually. Tidal, by contrast, is expected to generate only about 1 GW of electricity over the same time period. It is interesting to note that one offshore turbine will provide electricity to about 15,000 households, while one on-shore turbine will provide electricity to between 2-3,000 households. Obermann discusses what is needed to realize offshore wind’s potential, including investment tax credits and transmission infrastructure. It is an excellent overview for those following Premier Houston’s Wind West project.
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