Accreditation
The Wave and Tidal test facilities at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney
have been officially registered with the United
Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
UKAS accreditation - a world first - means that renewable energy developers can use EMEC's hi-tech facilities to gain an internationally recognised verification of the performance of their wave energy devices.
In 2007 Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"UKAS accreditation is a major boost, not just for the Marine Energy
Centre, but for the whole of Scotland as we develop our position as an international
centre of excellence in the development of marine energy.
"This is the first centre of its kind anywhere in the world to win this mark of quality and sends out a clear signal to the renewables industry that Scotland is the place to go for full testing and independent verification of wave energy equipment.
"The wave and tidal conditions in Orkney make it the perfect location to carry out this kind of rigorous testing.
"I am delighted to see real results coming from the Executive's £3 million investment and look forward to more good news in the future as Scotland strengthens its position as the renewable energy powerhouse of Europe."
Neil
Kermode, EMEC's Managing Director, added:
"Our role is to show how much power the machines produce in a wide variety
of sea and weather conditions - everything from a flat calm to a force 10 storm.
"This is vitally important information for developers. It means EMEC
has a global role to play in the development of a new marine renewables industry
with huge potential for the UK, for Scotland, and for Orkney”.
To achieve accreditation EMEC has developed an Integrated Management System (IMS) as a clear commitment to Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental management. This has been created using the principles of HSG 65 to meet the standards laid down in OHSAS 18001, ISO 14001 and ISO 17025. Using the IMS, EMEC assess developer's performance against the following standards:
- Assessment of Performance of Wave Energy Conversion Systems
- Assessment of Performance of Tidal Energy Conversion Systems