EMEC are pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for the prestigious Offshore Achievement Awards in the Offshore Renewables category. The Offshore Renewables Award recognises technical excellence in an offshore marine renewables project, and is judged on outstanding design, significant innovation, and unusual complexity and scale. The awards ceremony will be held in March so watch this space.

Atlantis Resources Corporation has announced that it will continue the testing for the AR1000 tidal turbine at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec). Upon completion, the turbine is scheduled to return to EMEC for further testing. For the full press release, click here. 

Jenny Norris, Research Director, was in Newcastle yesterday attending an Advisory Group meeting on the Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme, run by the National Environmental Research Council (NERC). The programme aims to stimulate the development of stronger partnerships between the academic, public and private sectors. 

Welcome to the team

EMEC would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest member to the EMEC team. John Skuse began working with us on Monday taking up the post of Maintenance Technician for the Eday Substation.   His responsibilities include looking after the building and laydown area facilities, developer activities, maintenance, troubleshooting and assisting with project work.

Photo: Watching the sunrise from EMEC office window this morning

EMEC wish everyone in China a Happy New Year as they enter the Year of the Dragon – a symbol of good fortune, ambition, enterprise and innovation. We look forward to working closer with the Ocean University of China and Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission, based in the Shandong Province of China, and wish them all the best for the year that lies ahead.

Closer to home, Neil Kermode, Managing Director, has had a very busy week. On Monday he was delighted to attend the Marine Energy Programme Board in Bristol chaired by Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker. The Board heard of the excellent progress made by the Working Groups over the last year. Following the welcomed announcement of the UK’s first Marine Energy Park, which is to be set up in South West England, discussions progressed on to the development of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park. The collaborative opportunities present across the UK are immense, and when harnessed will see the development of a strong domestic market, further securing the UK’s position at the forefront of the marine renewables industry.

Neil also attended the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) meeting at the Royal Society in Edinburgh, where Phil Smith was introduced as the new Chairman of the Board. His main priorities in his new role will be to raise the profile of the TSB across the UK and increase its reach, influence and impact. This was followed by a useful discussion, led by Iain Gray, Chief Executive, on the TSB’s role in driving innovation to help the UK achieve its CO2 targets and resultant economic benefits.

Neil also met with PA Consulting Group who are leading the 2020 Supply Chain Group in Scotland to accelerate and inform the renewables debate. They have created Technology Supply Chain Development Plans for marine and offshore wind which present an industry view of how best to establish viable supply chains in Scotland. The plans are designed to enable key stakeholders in Scotland’s renewable energy industry to gain a clear, comprehensive understanding of what needs to be done, by whom and when. They demonstrate how Scotland can capitalise on supply chain opportunities and maximise its domestic and international renewables market share. The plans are still in development and PA Consulting will be delighted to receive feedback.

And finally, we are in the process of redesigning the EMEC website, and welcome any comments and suggestions that you have either on aspects you like/dislike on the current website, or features you would like to see on the new website. Click here to provide feedback, any comments are gratefully received.  

Happy New Year to all.

EMEC are gearing up for another exciting year, as developers continue their testing programmes at our wave and tidal testing facilities, and we look forward to welcoming a number of new clients on site throughout the year.

On Wednesday, Jenny Norris and Matthew Finn facilitated the first EMEC Developers Research Forum (DRF) of the year in Edinburgh. The meeting was very well attended prompting productive discussions between EMEC’s developer community. The DRF provides a platform to developers testing at EMEC to collaborate and share their experiences, knowledge and opinions on technical and regulatory issues.

Orkney were host to a Japanese marine mission this week, as part of a wider visit to Scotland investigating the role marine energy could play in Japan through the creation of new industries, economic opportunities, and the replacement of their nuclear programme. The mission, which consisted of several companies including Mitsubishi Research Institute and Mizuho Research Institute, met with EMEC representatives today providing an overview of the developments currently taking place in Japan. The group also visited the Billia Croo wave test site and substation (pictured above). While in Orkney they were witness to a number of the cutting edge technologies currently testing at EMEC, and met with HIE, Aquatera and ICIT. Earlier in the week they spoke with Scottish Government Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing, MSP.

Picture: Japanese Marine Mission at the Billia Croo wave test site, outside Stromness.

On the wave site:
• Aquamarine Power Ltd began installing their second generation Oyster wave energy device, the Oyster 800;
• In November E.ON celebrated the first anniversary since the ‘Vagr Atferd’ wave energy project connected to the grid at EMEC, and won the best project award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards;
• ScottishPower Renewables brought a second Pelamis P2 device to Orkney in November 2011 to sit alongside the EON machine;
• Finnish company Wello Oy brought their Penguin device to Orkney which was constructed in Riga, Latvia, in June 2011; and
• Seatricity commenced fabrication of their multiple floats system in September 2011 at their new manufacturing base in Stromness.

On the tidal site:
• in October 2011 Rolls Royce announced that its subsidiary company, Tidal Generation Ltd (TGL), generated more than 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of power to the national grid since connecting;
• Atlantis Resources Corporation undertook multiple installations and removal operations of its AR1000 tidal turbine on its subsea berth;
• Hammerfest Strom UK Ltd successfully installed the HS1000 tidal turbine in December 2011;
• Voith Hydro and RWE Innogy commenced preparatory works in Summer 2011 by installing the monopile for their 1MW tidal turbine;
• Scotrenewables deployed the SR250 device at the test site for the first time in March 2011;
• OpenHydro continued testing their Open-Centre Turbine; and
• EMEC welcomed Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Bluewater Energy Services as the latest clients to sign contracts for testing at the tidal test site.

Plus on the new scale test sites:
In February 2011, EMEC opened its new scale test sites, bridging the gap between tank testing and full scale prototype testing, enabling developers to test scale devices in more gentle conditions.
• EMEC welcomed Flumill as the first clients to use the new nursery tidal site in the Shapinsay Sound in September in a project using exclusively local suppliers for installation works;
• Whilst both AlbaTERN and Nottingham University have signed up to use the nursery wave site in Scapa Flow.

Operations:
The increase in site activity has resulted in the busiest year yet for the Ops Team and a number of other big projects have kept the team particularly occupied:
• A number of infrastructure upgrades (funded by DECC) were completed including the installation of switchgear and SCADA equipment for 3 new berths; and the design, planning, installation and operation of onshore services for the scale test sites (incorporating the first deployment of EMECs unique purpose-built test support buoys);
• Upgrade works at Billia Croo were concluded following the installation of the new subsea cable; and
• A microwave link was installed on Eday to the Sanday telephone exchange to provide enhanced data services to the tidal test site.

Research:
Throughout the year, the research team have:
• worked on 17 research projects ranging from EMEC site specific projects (including wildlife observations, acoustic characterisation, and fisheries interaction) to UK wide projects (ReDAPT and PerAWat) to EU and international projects (such as EQUIMAR and Oregon Wave Energy Trust).
• continued to work closely with Marine Scotland to streamline the consenting process for marine energy developers; and
• facilitated 3 industry wide research groups.

In April, EMEC became involved in the European MaRINET project, coordinating the research and development of wave and tidal devices at all scales and allowing access for researchers and developers into facilities which are not available universally in Europe.

Further afield:
• In May, EMEC signed a strategic agreement with the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy, to help advance the marine renewable energy industry worldwide; and
• In December, EMEC signed a contract with the Ocean University of China to provide consultancy support to develop a wave test centre in the Shandong province. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed to foster closer working relationships between the two companies and Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission.
• EMEC continues to provide consultancy and work closely with many countries who are planning and building test and demonstration centres around the world.

Awards:
• In May, Neil Kermode was awarded the 2011 Lennard Senior Prize from the Society for Underwater Technology which recognises outstanding individual achievement in the field of marine renewable energy;
• In September, EMEC scooped the accolade for Outstanding Contribution to the Scottish Environment at the third Scottish Green Awards, for its work in testing renewable wave and tidal devices for the energy industry; and
• EMEC also came Highly Commended in the New Energy Infrastructure Project of the Year category at the Energy Infrastructure Awards 2011 in November.

Industry Involvement:
This year EMEC:
• hosted over 400 visitors, from near and far, including royalty, governmental ministers, MPs, MSPs, industrial and investment corporations, and a number of media visitors. Visitors included HRH Prince Andrew, the Scottish Energy Minister, the UK Energy and Climate Change Committee, the Chilean Energy Minister, The Saltire Prize Committee and the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers;
• attended 16 conferences, from All Energy in Aberdeen to conventions in San Diego and New Zealand;
• participated in 23 working and advisory groups; and
• were the first to sign the Renewable UK Health and Safety Accord demonstrating its commitment to the safe operation of the renewable energy industry.

As the year draws to a close, Neil Kermode managing director would like to say:

“I am delighted that the heightened activity in the last year has enabled EMEC to become financially self-sufficient. It demonstrates that the public investment which has gone into EMEC is now generating a healthy return. This is great news not just for EMEC but for the industry as a whole as we look for further development opportunities in the future, further advancing the marine renewables industry.

“Site activity has more than doubled over the past year and 2012 is looking to be busier than ever as we welcome new clients on site. We are looking forward to working closely with our new partners overseas, and will continue to look for further collaborative opportunities as the year progresses. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our clients, suppliers, government and regulatory agencies, visitors from around the world, and everybody in the local community for your continued support and cooperation.

“We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

Picture: Sunrise from EMEC office over Stromness in winter

Staff at EMEC were delighted to have a run in Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV battery-powered electric car on Wednesday; an interesting experience for those who had never driven an automatic before. The power from the lithium ion battery system was impressive. Pictured above is Eileen Linklater following her test run of the car down to the Billia Croo wave test site.

EMEC is pleased to announce this week that the University of Nottingham will be trialling their Energy Bag concept, an energy storage system, at EMEC. For further details click here.

Neil Kermode participated in the first meeting of the reformed Marine Energy Group, jointly chaired by the Scottish Government and Scottish Renewables, in Edinburgh yesterday. The meeting was very well attended and it was great to see so much enthusiasm towards the development of the marine renewable industry.

Richard Morris has returned from a visit to South Korea and China. In South Korea, he participated in a one day Ocean Renewable Energy Workshop held in Busan, and met with KORDI the South Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute. In Hong Kong, he met with various country representatives from South East Asia at City University Hong Kong to discuss ways of collaborating closer for the benefit of the entire industry.

Coming up:

EMEC are sponsoring the Stromness Amateur Swimming Club’s 51^st Annual Club Championships taking place tomorrow. Good luck to all the participants.

‘MaRINET’ initiative opens access to marine testing sites across Europe

The UK marine renewable energy sector is set to benefit from a new €9m EU-funded initiative to provide access to test facilities in specialist marine renewable energy centres across Europe. ‘MaRINET’ (Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network) offers periods of marine renewable energy testing at these centres at no cost to participants through funding from the European Commission. The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd, The National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) Ltd, The University of Exeter, The University of Strathclyde, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s University of Belfast and The University of Plymouth are key partners in this initiative.

MaRINET supports testing of concepts and devices in areas such as wave energy, tidal energy, offshore-wind energy and the environment, to accelerate Europe-wide development of marine renewable energy. The funding seeks to remove financial barriers for the first time by enabling companies and research groups to access unique world-class European testing facilities outside their own country, which is generally not covered under national grant schemes.

The initiative, with at least four calls for applications, runs until 2015 and the first call for applications is now open. Potential users, who must work in Europe or a country associated to the European FP7 programme, are invited to apply to access this first call.

The network consists of 42 testing facilities at 28 research centres in 12 countries. By linking these marine renewable energy testing facilities and using an agreed testing framework, this initiative now provides a clear path to commercialisation by allowing users to seamlessly progress their device through each phase of testing. All participating centres will use common standards, conduct research to improve their own testing capability and provide training to enhance expertise in the field.

The following UK facilities are participating in this project: EMEC is offering its wave and tidal scale testing facilities in Orkney; NaREC is offering its Marine Test Site, CPTC Energy Link Lab and Nautilus Rotary Test Rig; The University of Exeter is offering the South West Mooring Test Facility; The University of Strathclyde is offering its Acre Road Tow and Wave Tank Facility; The University of Edinburgh are offering their Curved Tank; The University of Plymouth are offering their HF Radar environmental monitoring facility; and Queens University Belfast is offering access to the Portaferry Tidal Test Centre and Shallow Water Wave Tank.

A significant number of European companies and research groups are expected to apply to use these facilities.

Project Coordinator, Professor Tony Lewis of University College Cork, called on UK companies and research groups to apply for funding to access European facilities through MaRINET:

‘‘MaRINET offers a unique opportunity to access these world-class European test facilities in order to validate and progress concepts at any stage of development, and to ultimately harness the untapped renewable energy resources that are abundant around the European coastline. This is a great opportunity to advance marine renewable research testing and commercial development for both UK and European companies and research groups’’.

Jennifer Norris, Research Director of EMEC said:

“A number of international developers are already testing their devices here at EMEC, and we welcome applications from researchers and developers from across Europe who wish to make use of our world-leading facilities. The MaRINET project is a great vehicle to encourage transnational knowledge sharing through coordinated R&D, and this funding will further drive the development of the marine renewables industry closer to commercial success.”

Dr Lars Johanning of the University of Exeter said:

“This announcement is great news for the University of Exeter and for the South West region as a whole. Our South West Mooring Test Facility is already enabling academic researchers and the offshore renewable energy industry to work together to advance emerging technologies. This new initiative will make the facility available to researchers from across Europe and will help ensure the South West of England remains at the forefront of this exciting and important industry.”

Interested groups should complete the online application form on www.fp7-marinet.eu. The closing date for applications is 29 February 2012.

EMEC is pleased to announce another innovative technology to be tested on one of our intermediate scale sites.  The University of Nottingham will be trialling their Energy Bag concept (pictured above) – a compressed air energy storage system – in EMEC’s scale wave test site in Scapa Flow. 

Professor Seamus D. Garvey, leading the project said:

"We are delighted to announce that we will be carrying out the world’s first offshore installation of an Energy Bag at the European Marine Energy Centre in the first few months of 2012.  The work, which is funded by E.ON, will involve the installation and cycling of a 4m diameter open base Energy Bag in one of EMEC’s scale test sites, to prove the bag’s performance underwater and investigate any unforeseen problems with offshore installation.

"Compressed air energy storage has the potential to economically deal with the intermittency inherent to most forms of renewable energy, and subsea storage in Energy Bags is a new technology which promises very low costs.  This installation is an important step towards commercialisation, and we’re really looking forward to getting up to Orkney and working with the team at the European Marine Energy Centre."

While Orkney has taken a bashing in up to 138.5mph winds, we are glad to say that EMECs infrastructure has survived the storm. For those of you who keep an eye on the live wave data feed on our website, please be assured that we did not experience a 35 metre wave last night (thankfully!!). As the data is streamed straight from our wave rider buoy to the website it is not subject to our strict quality control measures and therefore can occasionally show anomalies in the data. The maximum wave height recorded last night was 16 metres (still not for the faint-hearted).

Despite the colder weather we have still welcomed a number of visitors to EMEC this week who braved the cold ascent to Orkney. A film crew from Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV), Japan were in Orkney producing a feature piece for the COP17 conference in Durban, South Africa. Japan is very interested in its own wave power potential. They interviewed Managing Director Neil Kermode at EMECs Billia Croo wave test site (pictured above) and filmed the two Pelamis devices in Lyness, owned by E.ON and Scottish Power Renewables.

On her first visit to Orkney, MSP Aileen Campbell travelled up from Clydesdale as part of a series of introductory trips to local authorities around Scotland. She met with Marine Services and EMEC representatives who provided an overview of Orkney’s role in the marine renewable industry. She was amazed by the amount of activity taking place in a peripheral island.

And all the way from Australia, Peter Berry, Managing Director of Flinders Group, who specialises in the energy industry, took a day trip to Orkney especially to find out more about EMEC. Wave and tidal energy is a particular interest in Australia at present, and he was keen to see firsthand the facilities that EMEC are offering.

Sino-Scots partnership to harness wave power: European Marine Energy Centre to work with China’s Ocean University

Experts from Scotland’s world-leading wave and tidal testing hub the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) are to collaborate with their marine energy counterparts from the Ocean University of China (OUC) in Shandong Province under a new partnership announced by the First Minister Alex Salmond today.

The OUC, based in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, has agreed a contract with EMEC which will see staff from the Orkney-based facility assist the university to develop a wave test centre in Shandong.  A Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed to foster closer working relationships between EMEC, the University and Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

The First Minister announced the new partnership while visiting the Shandong Province, and visited also Himin Solar Valley to discuss the potential for research and investment in renewable and low carbon technologies.  Mr Salmond also renewed an Memorandum of Understanding between Scotland and Shandong Province, signed by the First Minister and Governor Jiang.

Mr Salmond said:

“Nature has provided powerful resources that, combined with great human endeavour and ingenuity, can be harnessed to create plentiful clean renewable energy.  This is an ambition shared between China and Scotland – two nations with a strong industrial heritage and reputation for innovation.  Both nations also have extensive coastlines and considerable marine resources. Scotland has around a quarter of Europe’s tidal resource and around a tenth of the continent’s wave power potential.  Building on our natural endowment of oil and gas reserves, we already have an internationally-renowned offshore engineering base that is diversifying into marine and, of course, wind power.

“Wave and tidal energy developers from around the world are bringing their pioneering technologies to Scotland’s world-leading European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney –creating a critical mass of expertise in this exciting sector.  This new partnership between EMEC and the Ocean University of China can help accelerate the development of marine energy technologies that will play an increasing role in powering the major economies of China, Europe and elsewhere, while reducing harmful emissions to tackle climate change.”

Established in 2003, EMEC is the world’s only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy, suitable for testing 14 devices simultaneously in some of the harshest sea conditions while exporting electricity to the grid. All but one of these full-scale berths have been leased. Among the devices at EMEC is ScottishPower Renewables’ P2 Pelamis Wave Power device that China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang saw during its construction at the Edinburgh-based developer’s Leith facility, when he visited Scotland in January.

EMEC commercial director Richard Morris commented:

“EMEC is delighted to be working with the Ocean University of China.  Our knowledge and understanding of how to design, set up and operate a test centre, backed up by robust methodologies and processes, gives us the unique capability to provide consultancy support to other countries wishing to set up their own marine energy test sites. EMEC’s staff have a wealth of expertise and day-to-day understanding of all issues relevant to the testing of devices in the marine environment, and the confidence to deal with all eventualities arising during the vitally important stages of the test process.

“There are significant wave and tidal resources across the globe and at EMEC we are very pleased to be exporting our knowledge and expertise to further the development of the global marine energy industry – in this case strengthening ties between Scotland and China. This strategic collaboration further reinforces EMEC’s world-leading position at the forefront of the renewable energy industry.”

Professor Hongda Shi, Dean, College of Engineering, OUC, said:

“Ocean University China and Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission are pleased to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EMEC.  We look forward to sharing ideas that will further the marine renewable industry in China utilising the expertise already built up in Scotland.  We envisage a long and fruitful relationship between the three organisations.”

Scottish Development International chief executive Anne MacColl added:

“Renewable energy, particularly wind and wave power, is an area where Scotland’s significant capabilities make us highly competitive on the global stage. Some of our biggest economic opportunities lie in the growth of this sector, and today’s announcement is a real testament to that. The skills and expertise coming out of EMEC are truly world-leading and Scottish Development International will continue to explore the real long-term opportunities partnerships such as these will bring both to Scotland and China.”

The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters ‘Wave and tidal energy’ information evening, hosted by The Crown Estate, took place on Tuesday this week. The evening included presentations by The Crown Estate, Marine Scotland, Scottish and Southern Energy, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Orkney Islands Council, and the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum, followed by a question and answer session. This was a very informative evening advising on what has been done to date and what is proposed for the future. Any general queries regarding the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters projects should be directed to waveandtide@crownestate.co.uk. For more information visit the Crown Estate Wave and Tidal Energy web page.

Neil Kermode participated in the Renewable UK Marine Strategy Group earlier this week, and Eileen Linklater attended the Scottish Renewables Marine Work Group in Edinburgh yesterday, ensuring that the industry remain up-to-date with EMECs activities. EMEC were also in attendance at the Scottish Green Energy Awards in Edinburgh last night to meet up with and support our developers and stakeholders. The award ceremony was established by Scottish Renewables in 2002 to bring industry leaders together to honour, acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of individuals and organisations in the renewable energy industry in Scotland.

We were pleased to welcome representatives from the Brazilian Ministry of Environment to EMEC on Wednesday who visited Orkney as part of a renewables fact finding mission around the Europe. Brazil has a coastline of over 4600 miles and the Ministry are exploring ideas on how to make use of their vast natural resources. The group toured the Billia Croo wave test site and met with local marine renewables stakeholders during their stay in Orkney.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Japan’s only public broadcaster, were also in Orkney this week. They were filming for a special programme on ways in which to restore and revive the local community of Iwate which was badly affected by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Iwate is particularly interested in the potential of marine energy development and the programme is being produced to show the economic impact that the marine renewable industry has had on Orkney.

And finally, EMEC submitted a team into the annual Christmas Quiz held in the Girnel on Wednesday, hosted this year by Historic Scotland. Lagging behind at the start, the team managed to finish in a respectable (joint) 3^rd place after an enjoyable night of cake tasting and hat making. Congratulations to our neighbours ICIT who won and consequently will be hosting next year’s quiz. We’re already looking forward to it!

EMEC were delighted to welcome Richard Coackley, the Institution of Civil Engineers new President, to Orkney on Monday. The energy specialist was very impressed to see the groundbreaking work that is taking place across the county. He visited Lyness viewing Wello Oy’s Penguin device, and was given a tour of Scottish Power Renewables P2 device, currently moored next to EoNs P2 (pictured above). Whilst in Orkney he met with local councillors, and addressed local I.C.E members speaking of his vision of a complete overhaul of the UK energy supply system to ensure sustainable energy generation for future generations.

Kathy Bradshaw, Technical Director, Water and Environment (Scotland) at Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd, and Board Member of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management, visited on Thursday to gain a wider understanding of the scope of marine renewables activities throughout Orkney.

The Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team toured the Billia Croo wave test site yesterday with new recruits gaining first-hand knowledge of the facilities and services on offer at EMEC.

Neil Kermode attended the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) Wave and Tidal Industry Update in Aberdeen yesterday. He spoke alongside Johanna Yates, Scottish Renewables, and Alan Owen, Robert Gordon University, updating members on EMECs progress to date.

And finally, there’s a lot of excitement in the office today as the turn in the weather produces some impressive waves at the EMEC test sites. 15m waves have been witnessed at Billia Croo this morning (go to live wave data for the latest wave data). Further to this, 5m waves have been recorded at the Fall of Warness tidal test site and 3.5m at the Scapa Flow wave nursery site.

Coming up:

Neil is participating in the Renewable UK Marine Strategy Group on 29^th November.

EMEC are hosting a table at the Green Energy Awards in Edinburgh on 1^st December. Neil, Richard and Eileen will be attending the award ceremony.

Tidal energy is in its early stages of development. While most tidal developers concentrate on the development of turbines, Bluewater has developed a solution to install and maintain these turbines in the oceans at the lowest possible cost.

"We are really proud to have achieved this stage of maturation of our Bluetec development" says Allard van Hoeken, Bluewater's New-Energy Manager. "Right now, the tidal industry is starting to recognise the substantial benefits of the floating support for the turbines. Farm developers want to see the system in reality before selecting it as their preferred solution. Therefore we are excited to demonstrate a full scale Bluetec system to the world".

BlueTEC is a floating support structure suitable for any type of tidal turbine. Unlike conventional bottom founded designs, BlueTEC offers significant advantages by accommodating all critical equipment above the waterline, where it is dry and protected, allowing for easy access, inspection and repair. This substantially lowers capital and operational expenditures for any tidal energy project. At the same time energy production increases as the turbines are located just below the sea surface, in the most energy rich part of the water column. Lowering costs and increasing production at the same time is a powerful combination to make tidal energy projects more commercially attractive.

The project is supported by the European Commission Life+ programme. Project partners are Italian turbine developer Ponte di Archimede (PDA) and Environmental Research Institute (ERI), based in Scotland. Talks are on-going with a major electrical equipment manufacturer and an offshore construction and servicing company to join the project.

The Bluewater group of companies has built a worldwide technological lead specializing in lease and operation of tanker-based Production and Storage (FPSO/FSO) systems, and has become a leading provider of advanced Single Point Mooring (SPM) systems. The offshore experience of the Bluewater group is a key advantage for BlueTEC in bringing down costs for tidal energy.

Image: © Bluewater 2011

EMEC has been recognised for its innovative energy infrastructure projects at an award ceremony held last week (Thursday, 10 November) in London. EMEC came Highly Commended in the New Energy Infrastructure Project of the Year category at the inaugural Energy Infrastructure Awards 2011, after using new technology to install two tidal cables and one deep water wave cable in harsh conditions, as well as developing innovative cable end junctions, allowing developers faster and easier connections to the national grid. EMEC was also commended for the development of two nursery test sites, bridging the gap between wave or tidal tank testing and testing full scale prototypes in real sea conditions. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.

EMEC continue to work closely with stakeholders in the marine renewable industry:

·        Following signing the Renewable UK Health and Safety Accord last month, Neil Kermode participated in a teleconference with RUK last week ensuring health and safety lessons are shared throughout the industry.

·        Jenny Norris recently discussed EMEC’s wildlife monitoring activities at a Sharing Good Practice event in Perth, which brought together developers, consultants, regulators and other relevant stakeholders in the marine renewables industry. The event, run by Scottish Natural Heritage in association with Marine Scotland, enabled knowledge sharing to minimise the impact marine renewables development has on the marine environment.

·        Richard Morris has been attending Dynamic Shetland, Shetland’s Renewable Energy Conference, this week. Following the conference, EMEC were pleased to see representatives from Scottish Development International drop past for a catch up and update on each other’s progress.

EMEC have also hosted a number of visitors in the past few weeks:

·         We were pleased to welcome representatives from the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA) who were highly interested in the innovative activities happening here in Orkney. Orkney and the NORA regions share similar challenges in terms of trade and industry, and thus NORA were intrigued to learn how we overcome these challenges, and what opportunities may be present for cooperation between the regions.

·         EMEC were also hosts to the Northlink Board who were shown around the offices and toured the Billia Croo wave test site.

·         And earlier today, a group of students from the Wavetrain2 course (currently taking place in Orkney), visited Billia Croo and the Black Craig Observation Point, following a talk on environmental monitoring and consenting issues from Jenny Norris. The wavetrain2 project is a multinational training network focusing on the wide range of challenges that industrial-scale wave energy implementation faces in the near future.

Finally, acoustic surveys were successfully carried out at the Fall of Warness (tidal test site) and Shapinsay Sound (tidal nursery site) this week. The purpose of the surveys is to assess the effects that acoustic emissions from tidal devices may have on some wildlife species.

Coming up:

Richard Coackley, President of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) is visiting on Monday next week. He is interested in the innovative work that is taking place in Orkney, particularly the major infrastructure developments by Orkney Islands Council at Lyness for the Marine Renewables Facility. He will also be meeting members of ICE that are based in Orkney.

Neil Kermode will be attending the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) Wave and Tidal Industry Update in Aberdeen next Thursday (24^th November 2011) updating members on progress at EMEC.

Where we’ve been this week:

Neil Kermode was kept busy at the Renewable UK Annual Conference and Exhibition in Manchester. At a side event he signed the Renewable UK Health & Safety Accord. EMEC are the first company to sign the accord further demonstrating our leadership role in the marine renewable energy industry. For further details click here. The following day, Neil spoke at the SOWFIA project workshop ‘Real Experiences To-date In Wave Energy Development’. The workshop examined the challenges faced by the wave energy industry, with Neil talking about EMEC’s experiences to date.

Following the RUK Conference, Neil travelled to Glasgow and is today meeting with Fergus Ewing, who has established a Short Life Task Force on Streamlining Energy Planning and Consents. The Task Force has been created in order to build on previous successes through coordinated action, bringing together the key stakeholders in the Scottish marine renewable industry including EMEC, Scottish Renewables, The Crown Estate, developers and energy suppliers.

John Lawrence, EMEC’s Hydrodynamicist, is in London this week at the Nortek Offshore Renewables Symposium. John gave the keynote speech on Thursday discussing EMECArialsans-serif'">use of acoustic doppler measurement technology in the field of offshore renewable energy. For more information on the symposium visit the Nortek website.

Founded by RenewableUK, the Offshore Wind and Marine Energy Health and Safety Accord is a first for the global renewable energy sector and addresses the specific challenges and opportunities facing the offshore wind and marine industries.

EMEC - the only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy in the world - signed up to the Accord at the annual RenewableUK conference in Manchester where managing director Neil Kermode underlined EMEC’s support for excellence in health and safety.

Mr Kermode says: “As the world’s first and only full scale wave and tidal testing laboratory, EMEC has a duty of care to the current and future developers who use our test centres and facilities. Being the first to sign this Accord not only demonstrates EMEC’s leadership within the industry but also our determination to operate safely.

“With seven years’ experience in operating our test sites, EMEC has extensive experience and knowledge on health and safety issues within the offshore renewable sector.  We must share what we have learnt with the industry and collaborate to ensure future risks are mitigated.”

The Accord was drawn up by RenewableUK’s health and safety working groups following consultation with key stakeholders, and aims to show an industry fully engaged in self regulation by confronting the key challenges ahead to minimise current and future risks.

Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK, said: "As the trade association for the wind, wave and tidal industry, we welcome all advancements in health and safety. This first signing of the RenewableUK Health and Safety Accord indicates that the industry takes such issues extremely seriously.

“With the policy landscape supporting the development of the wave and tidal sector becoming ever clearer, we are set to see accelerated array deployment. I would like to encourage all our members and partners to follow EMEC’s lead in signing the accord and consolidate the excellent track record the industry enjoys".

Photo: (L) EMEC managing director Neil Kermode and (R) RenewableUK chief executive Maria McCaffery.

We are delighted to announce this week that Kawasaki have signed a contract with EMEC. The Japanese multinational intend to test their tidal energy device at EMEC’s tidal test site in Eday. For further details click here.

Hammerfest Strom have commenced subsea cable works at the Fall of Warness in Eday, in preparation for the installation of their tidal turbine.

And earlier this week we recorded a 9m wave at Billia Croo yet again demonstrating the strength of marine resources we have here in Orkney.

As reported in the press, the Energy and Climate Change Committee visited EMEC at the start of the week as part of their inquiry into wave and tidal technologies. For further details click here.

On Thursday David Palmer (pictured above), Head of Policy and Planning at Marine Scotland, the Directorate of The Scottish Government responsible for managing ScotlandArialsans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Real Experiences To-date In Wave Energy Development’ on Day Three. For more details see: RUK conference or SOWFIA workshop.

Japan’s KHI will test its new technology at the world-leading European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, using its expertise in engines, marine propulsion and gas turbines systems to develop a tidal power generation system.

Building on these activities, KHI plans to take part in future large UK, Japanese and global projects to harness renewable energy, creating more possibilities for future collaborations in Scotland.

The company’s announcement was also welcomed by Scottish Development International (SDI), which has been integral in making the connections between KHI, EMEC and the Scottish Government to enable KHI to test its technology in Scotland.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “I am delighted that KHI has decided to trial its new tidal power generation system in Scottish waters, at the world-leading European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. It is a very welcome recognition of Scotland’s vast marine renewables potential.

“Japan is one of the great industrial nations of the world and I am encouraged that it shares Scotland’s vision of building on a strong engineering heritage to harness our natural resources and generate clean, renewable power that can reduce harmful emissions and tackle global climate change.

“Scotland has around one quarter of Europe’s tidal energy resource and a growing expertise in offshore renewables and I am determined that we continue to encourage world-leading companies like KHI to work with us in developing pioneering technologies that can power the economies of the future and benefit the generations that follow us.”

Anne MacColl, chief executive, Scottish Development International, said: “KHI’s decision to trial its new tidal power generation system at EMEC is testament to Scotland’s growing international reputation in emerging low carbon technologies.

“Global companies such as KHI are being drawn to Scotland thanks to our natural resources and expertise as well as our commitment and ambition towards forging a low carbon future.

“Through our teams in Tokyo, Japan and in Scotland we were able to provide KHI with extensive support and guidance. During their visits to Scotland last year we were also able to make the key introductions to EMEC and the Scottish Government. We now look forward to working in partnership with other agencies to help make this test programme a reality.”

Richard Morris, commercial director, EMEC said: “EMEC is delighted to have signed a contract with Kawasaki Heavy Industries to use our tidal test site at the Fall of Warness, in Orkney. To have Kawasaki, a large multinational company, carrying out vital technology development work at EMEC, the world’s first and only accredited wave and tidal test site, demonstrates our world-leading position, which further cements Scotland at the forefront of the renewable energy industry.

EMEC – the only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy in the world – welcomed the cross-party group, led by committee chairman Tim Yeo, Conservative MP for Suffolk South, to its base at Stromness and testing sites around the Islands.

The ECCC recently announced an inquiry into wave and tidal energy, investigating its potential to contribute towards the UK’s renewables and emissions targets.

The Committee met with Neil Kermode, EMEC’s managing director, to discuss the potential for renewable devices such as those tested at the centre to meet UK emissions targets, and visited its wave test site at Billia Croo to observe its innovative operations.

Accompanied by Mr Kermode and Michael Morrison of Orkney Islands Council Marine Services, the group also toured the Lyness Marine Renewables Support Base to view some of the wave energy devices based there.

Neil Kermode: “EMEC is the world’s only test laboratory for full scale wave and tidal energy converters. As a result it is hosting most of the leading technologies in the field and consequently is able to offer informed observation of the sector.

“The UK is leading the world in the race to develop and deploy wave and tidal energy converters. The scale of activity is envied elsewhere and real progress is being made due, in no small part, to consistent non-partisan support by government over a number of years.

“Marine energy will deliver on climate change, economic activity and sustainable energy policy objectives provided it continues to receive the necessary support.

“The benefits of developing a new industry and selling it to the world are huge. The costs of staying in this industry at this early stage are comparatively small.”

The Committee toured the EMEC wave and tidal test sites and the Crown Estate commercial lease development areas, and also attended a dinner event with EMEC’s technology developers, where they heard more about the technology developed at the site.

Tim Yeo, Conservative MP for Suffolk South and chairman of the ECCC, said: "This is the beginning of an important investigation process and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to visit EMEC, meeting its team and also the developers involved in what are very exciting, innovative projects here on Orkney."

Elected members and officials from Orkney Islands Council, as well as local supply chain companies including environmental consultancies, vessel operators and electrical specialists also met with committee members during the visit.

Convener of Orkney Islands Council, Stephen Hagan, said: “With an already functioning marine renewables base at Lyness and a contract awarded for major extension to Hatston Pier, the Council is playing an important role in supporting developers already basing much of their activity here and helping attract new interests.

“We are pleased along with EMEC to be able to showcase to the Select Committee our achievements in Orkney in the field of marine renewables, and the potential for Orkney to contribute to Scotland’s and the UK’s climate change targets.”

John Lawrence, EMEC’s Hydrodynamicist was in San Diego last week attending the “ADCP’s in Action” Conference which facilitates communication and information exchange between ADCP/DVL users, industry experts, and third party manufacturers. John presented a talk on “Combined ADCP and Radar Measurements at EMEC’s Tidal Energy Test Site” as part of the marine measurement segment of the event which was very well attended.  

Jenny Norris, our Research Director, spoke at the European Parliament’s Intergroup of Sea and Coastal Areas on Wednesday in Brussels. She participated in talks on "Marine Renewable Energies in Europe”, and gave a presentation on “Regional Strategies and Growth Opportunities” providing an oversight of EMECs activities, and the growth opportunities and challenges from a regional perspective. The event was well attended by MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, representative organisations and other member regions of the CPMR (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions).

We are also delighted to welcome Joe Thompson to EMEC’s Research team, who joined us on Wednesday as a Data Technician.