RRU in the Media: Julie MacArthur on energy diversification

With climate change increasing the intensity and frequency of natural disasters, experts recognize the need to diversify our energy sources to be resilient in the face of power disruptions and decrease our reliance on harmful fossil fuels.  

In a recent interview with The Narhwal, Associate Professor of Business Julie MacArthur spoke about the importance of renewable energy co-ops in generating more local and wide-spread energy options. MacArthur, who is also the Canada Research Chair for Reimagining Capitalism, explains that energy co-ops, while abundant in other countries like Germany and the Netherlands, aren’t as common in Canada, due to lack of support from governments.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:  

Despite their differences, most provinces provide pretty reliable access to affordable power so there has not been a lot of demand for alternative options, according to Julie MacArthur, an associate professor in Royal Roads University’s faculty of management whose work focuses on energy transitions and the political economy of energy projects. 

“Energy systems in general are not super top of mind to most people in a developed country, until you have huge power outages or there’s some problem with it or it’s too expensive,” MacArthur said. 

“I think there are a lot of activities co-ops could be contributing to that they’re not because they’re not recognized necessarily as legitimate actors in this space or there’s not a lot of policy attention on them,” she added. “But in every province, the need is going to be slightly different.” 

Read the full article in The Narwhal.  

Image by visoot from Adobe Stock.