logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
19m 49s

Turning the tides into renewable energy

THE GLOBE AND MAIL
About this episode

Companies around the world are trying to harness the power of the tides to create a renewable energy source. Canada’s Bay of Fundy is a promising place to do it because it has the highest tides in the world. But turning the tides into energy has proven to be challenging and costly.

Matthew MClearn is an investigative reporter and data journalist with The Globe and Mail’s Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Team. He’s on the show to explain how tidal power works and where we’re at in its development.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Up next
Today
How seriously is corporate Canada taking DEI these days?
Five years ago, hundreds of Canadian companies publicly pledged to address anti-Black racism. They signed the BlackNorth Initiative, which has since become the most high-profile DEI effort in corporate Canada.Many of the commitments came with a 2025 deadline. The Globe and Mail s ... Show More
22m 59s
Yesterday
Key takeaways from Carney’s second meeting with Trump
Five months after his first appearance in the Oval Office, Prime Minister Mark Carney made his second trip down to Washington. And while he said little during the 30-minute press conference, talks between the countries carried on throughout the day and into the night.Doug Saunder ... Show More
25m 19s
Oct 6
How Trump’s peace plan for Gaza could end the war
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. He did so alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “critical step”. Hamas has since responded, and agreed to parts of the plan — notably, the release of all r ... Show More
25m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
New frontiers of clean energy emerge
Renewables and electric vehicles are on a tear, and they’ll soon likely attract $2 trillion in yearly investment. But global emissions have not peaked. So what are the new frontiers of technology that will make renewables and storage more valuable – and draw down emissions at the ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2020
The Future of Green Energy
As the world looks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, there’s hope in the growing renewable energy market. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, Daniel Schrag, the director of Harvard University’s Center for the Environment, speaks to host John Sutter about the benefits of re ... Show More
30m 33s
Oct 2021
Winter is coming: How the energy crunch is squeezing everyone
All around the world, supplies of energy cannot keep up with soaring demand. That means higher energy prices. But more expensive natural gas, oil and other fossil fuels means staying warm this winter will cost consumers a lot more money. Today we explain what triggered this energ ... Show More
18m 32s
Apr 2023
Is Geothermal Power The Key To Stabilizing The Grid?
Alternative sources of power are moving into the spotlight.As the share of dispatchable power in our electricity system declines, with coal-fired plants giving way to variable wind and solar, maintaining reliable supplies to keep the lights on becomes more complex. Investment in ... Show More
58m 45s
Nov 2022
Can a country live on renewable energy alone?
The International Energy Agency says that the world is in the middle of the first global energy crisis. The price of natural gas has increased almost five-fold since the summer of 2020, and the main cause is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has cut supplies of gas to European ... Show More
24m 23s
Sep 2020
Energy: Daniel Yergin on Energy, Climate, and Geopolitics
This week’s guest is Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer prize winning author and renowned expert in energy, international relations, and economics. We discuss his latest book is The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations (available now). Topics include: the growing conflict betw ... Show More
47m 1s
May 2024
Why rich countries could struggle to come up with more climate cash
Wealthy nations belatedly met their goal of sending billions of dollars in climate aid to developing countries. And now, they’re gearing up again to negotiate the next amount of funding they are willing to give, which will likely be a tougher task because the cost of fighting cli ... Show More
9 m
Mar 2024
Is tidal power a viable energy source?
The Pentland Firth is the strait that lies between the far north of mainland Scotland and the Orkney Islands. It's a wild area with some of the fastest tides in the world, where the power of the sea is being harnessed by tidal turbines sitting on the sea bed.But this type of gree ... Show More
18m 26s
Sep 2020
Money Talks: Power in the 21st century
Oil fuelled the 20th century, but now a huge energy shock is catalysing a shift to a new world order. Charlotte Howard, The Economist's energy and commodities editor, and host Rachana Shanbhogue investigate why this oil slump is different. They ask Spencer Dale, BP's chief econom ... Show More
31m 7s
Sep 2023
Green and novel: the future of energy generation
Harnessing energy directly in space and from the ocean flow 
57m 38s