The UK is one of the leading centres for research and development in marine energy technology, with many renowned universities working in conjunction with technology developers. We also have comprehensive test facilities, at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) in the North East. A shared facility, Wave Hub, opened off the coast of Cornwall in Autumn 2010.
Many UK companies are also developing technologies to connect wave and tidal energy to the National Grid. You can find out more on the BWEA: Marine Renewable Energy web pages.
SuperGen Marine
The Sustainable Power Generation and Supply Initiative (SuperGen) is a large, collaborative research programme, which will tackle the big challenges of sustainable power generation and supply. It involves the Robert Gordon University, Edinburgh University, Heriot-Watt University, Lancaster University and Strathclyde University – as well as 20 national and international marine energy and electricity supply companies.
You can find out more on the SuperGen Marine Consortium website.
UKERC Marine Energy Technology Roadmap
The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) has created three tools to help policymakers and researchers review the current status of UK energy research and development, and identify the key research challenges. These are:
- Research Register – an online searchable database of energy-related awards and projects
- Landscape – a summary of energy-related research activities and capabilities in the UK
- Roadmaps – the sequence of research (and other) problems to be overcome before new technologies can be commercially viable.
You can find these tools on the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) website.
Marine Renewable Energy Research Advisory Group
The Marine Renewable Energy Research Advisory Group has published the Wave and tidal stream energy monitoring and research strategy. Its objective is to ensure that critical environmental information (covering baseline, impact and mitigation) is collected during the demonstrator phase of wave and tidal stream technology deployment, to inform strategic decisions on future leasing rounds and consenting of individual developments.
The strategy has four key elements:
- review existing knowledge
- dentify and prioritise issues and concerns
- develop and implement a research programme
- communicate and use the outputs of monitoring and research.
Test facilities in the UK
European Marine Energy Centre
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland, was established to speed up the development of marine power devices from the prototype stage to the commercial market place. It runs a testing centre and develops recognised industry standards for testing and certifying marine energy devices.
Government and other public sector organisations have invested around £15 million in EMEC and its two marine laboratories. Currently, it has five Grid-connected wave-testing berths and five tidal testing berths, with a total capacity of 20MW.
Wave Hub
Wave Hub opened in the Autumn 2010. It provides shared offshore infrastructure for the demonstration and proving of arrays of wave energy generation devices over a sustained period of time. It consists of an electrical hub on the seabed 16 kilometres off the north coast of Cornwall in South West England to which wave energy devices can be connected. The 12-tonne hub is linked to the UK’s grid network via a 25km, 1300 tonne subsea cable operating at 11kV.
The National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC)
NaREC is a leading research and development facility for new, sustainable and renewable energy technologies. With a unique range of development, testing and consultancy services, it works to support the evolving energy industry and transform new technologies into commercial successes.
NaREC consultants provide inventors, investors and developers with concept evaluation and technical expertise, determining the best route to deployment though a combination of market research and technical assessment. Working within a large network of academic, industrial, non-government, Government and trade organisations, NaREC establishes strategic partnerships to engage the best skills and experience to maximise the success of a project.
International Energy Agency – Ocean Energy Systems
The UK is a member of the International Energy Agency – Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) implementing agreement. This aims to co-ordinate ocean energy research, development and demonstration through international co-operation and information exchange – leading to the deployment and commercialisation of sustainable, efficient, reliable, cost-competitive and environmentally sound ocean energy technologies.
The IEA-OES website contains details on other member countries and collaborative annexes – and you can find an online reference library under the ‘Publications’ section.
Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database
The United States Department of Energy has developed an up-to-date Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database that covers both the US and the rest of the world. This includes wave, tidal, current, and ocean thermal energy, and contains information on the various energy conversion technologies, companies active in the field, and the development of projects in the water. It can present a snapshot of projects in a given region, assess the progress of a certain technology type, or provide a comprehensive view of the entire marine and hydrokinetic energy industry.