In a stride for the Canadian clean energy transition, two leaders in British Columbia’s ocean innovation sector have announced a joint initiative that forges brand new pathways for the development and commercialization of marine renewable energy and decarbonization technologies in British Columbia.

The BC Marine Energy and Decarbonization Hub is a core initiative of COAST, Pacific Canada’s hub for the sustainable blue economy, delivered in partnership with the University of Victoria. The Hub is the culmination of three decades of community-centered clean energy research and innovation conducted at the University of Victoria by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic), Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) and Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET.

Ultimately, the Hub stands to pave the way for a new wave of decarbonization technologies to take hold in British Columbia and Canada—which in turn will empower a rising class of ocean entrepreneurs to find new opportunities for innovation and improve outcomes across the board. As a result, the Hub will serve as a catalyst for new job creation and regional economic development, expanding the reach and deepening the impact of Canada’s clean technology industries.

The Hub leverages existing infrastructure and capacity to offer ocean sector companies the opportunity to test and demonstrate technologies in coastal and marine test sites related to:

• Marine renewable energy capture
• Energy integration and management, including energy storage and grid integration technologies
• Innovative distribution and/or uses of energy including production, storage and transmission of clean fuels

As deadlines for Canadian emissions reduction and net-zero targets loom, it is a national imperative to create accessible pathways for the creation and adoption of renewable marine energies. However, the development of marine renewable energy alone is insufficient to comprehensively decarbonize Canada’s ocean industries.

The systems and supply chain surrounding ocean sector activities must also evolve from storage capacity to energy distribution; maritime decarbonization must complement renewable energy development. To facilitate engagement with the most apt technologies, the Hub will issue Innovation Challenges in partnership with key regional stakeholders. Companies will respond to these calls for innovation and propose their technology as a potential solution. The first of these challenges will be issued in late 2025.

The BC Marine Energy and Decarbonization Hub is unique in that it seeks to address both aspects of this challenge, yielding complementary solutions with potential for integration all along the complex marine supply chain. British Columbia offers an ideal location for this effort, with the country’s largest maritime industry, the longest coastline of any province and over 70% of its population located in coastal areas (Province of BC, 2022).

Funding for the Hub comes from the federal (Pacific Economic Development Canada) and provincial government (BC Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions) as well as the RBC Foundation, and will support the Hub’s establishment and operation for four years (2025-2028). During this time, the Hub team will maintain and evolve crucial assets that support resource assessment, innovation and commercialization, project planning, stakeholder engagement and knowledge dissemination.