Marine Renewables Canada bulks up with industry expertise

Marine Renewables Canada has appointed three new members to its 2018 Board of Directors.

The new members of the board are Carys Burgess from Emera, Eric Bibeau from the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre (CHTTC), and Brad Buckham, Associate Professor University of Victoria Institute for Integrated Energy Systems.

Canadian national industry association for marine renewable energy Marine Renewables Canada said the new directors bring experience and strong expertise from the marine renewable energy and broader energy sectors.

In her current role at Emera, as Environmental Manager for the Cape Sharp Tidal project, Burgess is responsible for leading the process for obtaining federal and provincial consents for tidal turbine deployments, leading and managing the delivery of the environmental monitoring and research programs and the procurement and management of consultant services used for the design and execution of the environmental studies and effects monitoring program.

Bibeau leads the Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre (CHTTC) to advance the marine energy industry by contributing to the developopment of technology to accelerate its cost competitiveness. The CHTTC attracts turbine manufacturers and developers and focuses on life-cycle project solutions for fully integrated systems.

Aside from his engagement with the University of Victoria, Buckham has since 2008 been the Director of the West Coast Wave Initiative (WCWI) – a collaborative research program investigating the potential for ocean wave energy to supply remote coastal communities and broader regions in Pacific Canada.

The new directors officially began their terms on January 1, 2018, according to Marine Rnewables Canada.