A series of events during September will highlight Orkney’s pioneering role in creating a new use for power harnessed from the wind and tides. These events offer you the chance to discover more about the ‘Surf and Turf’ project, which involves generating hydrogen fuel using wind and tidal energy – and then using the fuel to provide electricity for ferries when tied up in harbour.

Programme:

Orkney International Science Festival: “Hydrogen for Orkney Power”
Friday 4th September 2015
9-10pm
Kirkwall Town Hall

Hosted by EMEC, this session will provide an overview of EMEC’s electrolyser and the Surf and Turf project with an opportunity for audience Q&A. EMEC’s Managing Director Neil Kermode and Kris Hyde from ITM Power, will discuss how power generated by tidal and wind turbines will produce hydrogen to overcome some of the grid constraints faced by Eday.

Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA) workshop
Thursday 24th September 2015
1.15-5pm
Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall
Registration essential: email office@oref.co.uk.

This workshop will give practical examples of where hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and products are being deployed as well as highlighting some of the emerging opportunity areas for the wider use of hydrogen produced from renewables in heat and transport. The event will be highly interactive, with opportunities to meet experts in this area, and to discuss the use of hydrogen and fuel cell systems in Orkney.

The workshop is free to attend, but registration is required as spaces are limited. Contact office@oref.co.uk to register your interest in this event.

For further information, visit: Orkney Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Opportunities Workshop

H2Shapinsay: Update on BIG HIT and Wind2Agri projects
Thursday 24th September 2015
7.30-9.30pm
Shapinsay Community Centre

The aim of this evening event will be to update Shapinsay residents, as well as any other interested parties, on the two possible H2 projects which are currently being planned: BIG HIT and Wind2Agri.

Public drop-in session
Friday 25th September 2015
3-8pm
Kirkwall Town Hall
Scheduled presentations at 4.30 and 6pm.

Come along and ask the experts about hydrogen, EMEC’s electrolyser, and the Surf ‘n’ Turf project. EMEC’s Neil Kermode and Kris Hyde, from ITM Power, will be providing short presentations on the hydrogen projects planned for Orkney at 4.30 and 6pm, and hydrogen generation demonstrations will take place throughout the event.

EMEC will be attending the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC) in Nantes, France on 6-11th September 2015.

Attending EWTEC 2015:

• Matthew Finn, Senior Business Development Manager
• Elaine Buck, Technical Business Development Manager
• David Cowan, Project & Consents Manager
• Caitlin Long, Wildlife Data Analysis Project Officer

If you’d like to set up a meeting please contact info@emec.org.uk.

Speaking at EWTEC 2015:

Caitlin will provide an update entitled “A methodology to assess displacement effects on key wildlife species arising from marine energy conversion systems using onshore observation data” in session 10A4: Environment impact and appraisal.

For more details on the programme, visit: EWTEC 2015 programme

About EWTEC 2015

The European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC) series are international, technical and scientific conferences, focussed on ocean renewable energy and widely respected for their commitment to maintain high standards in the quality of academic and industrial contributions to their proceedings.

For further information, visit: EWTEC 2015

EMEC will be attending the Scottish Renewables Marine Conference & Exhibition in Inverness on 15-16 September 2015.

Attending the conference:

• Andrew Mill, Chairman
• Neil Kermode, Managing Director
• Elaine Buck, Technical Business Development Manager

If you would like to set up a meeting, please contact: info@emec.org.uk

Don’t miss:

Plenary 4: Charting the course to commercialisation
Day 2: 0930-1030

With industry groups calling for the development of a new, UK-wide, clear and consistent 2030 vision for the sector, this session will explore what that should look like with our panel of experts. Is it time for an industrial strategy and what are the implications of the outcome of the 2015 General Election for the sector?

Chair:
Lindsay Roberts, Senior Policy Manager – Offshore Renewables, Scottish Renewables

Speakers:
Janine Kellett, Head of Offshore Renewables Policy Team, Scottish Government
Neil Kermode, Managing Director, EMEC
Dan Pearson, Chief Executive Officer, MeyGen Ltd
Adam Norris, Investor in Wavepower
Richard Yemm, Director, Quoceant

Plenary 5A & 5B: Focus on Wave & Tidal
Day 2: 1100-1200

For the full conference programme, visit: Scottish Renewables Marine Conference Programme

Hydrogen Islands – Stepping Stones to Energy Futures

Neil Kermode is chairing a session on energy storage and conversion at the Scottish Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association’s (SHFCA) Annual Conference.

About SHFCA Conference

The 2015 Scottish Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Conference will showcase the enabling role for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and products in distributed applications, supporting the development of the local energy system as exemplified by islands and evolving into corridors and territories.

This year’s conference programme brings together SHFCA members and invited expert speakers for sessions which will explore opportunities for growth in international trade and partnerships, and how hydrogen and fuel cells can be the smarter choice in Heat, Power, and Transport applications. Linking all of these activities together in the smart integrated energy systems of the futures is the underpinning theme of Hydrogen Islands. The conference will also explore opportunities for effective cooperation and partnership working between countries, both in Europe and internationally.

John Griffiths, EMEC’s Technical/Compliance Director, is presenting at the Pro-Tide Conference on Day 2 – 1st October 2015, Port of Dover, UK.

The aim of the conference is to share the findings of the Pro-Tide pilot schemes with regards to the planning, development and operation of tidal energy installations. The wider tidal energy sector is invited to share their knowledge and debate further opportunities to exploit low head and low flow tidal energy to make it commercially viable and to reduce the environmental impact.

John is speaking about ‘achieving standardisation’ at 15:15 in the ‘Information and Resources’ session.

About Pro-Tide

Pro-Tide is an Interreg IVB funded European project that aims to further develop the use of tidal energy systems in North West Europe, focusing on innovative systems operating at sites with small differences in tide levels and/or low flow rates. It is different from other tidal energy projects because of its focus on systems which may be suitable for near-shore locations, estuaries, tidal rivers and coastal defence infrastructure.

For further information, visit: Pro-Tide

EMEC will be attending the Ocean Energy Europe Annual Conference in Dublin, Ireland, on 20-21 October 2015.

Attending the event:

• Oliver Wragg, Commercial Director
• Matthew Finn, Senior Business Development Manager
• Eileen Linklater, Client Relations and Marketing Manager

If you would like to set up a meeting, please contact: info@emec.org.uk

Programme:

Oliver Wragg will be chairing the Starting Small: the Road to Market for Smaller Devices session at 15:15 on Day 2 Wednesday 21st October. The panel include speakers from Minesto, Albatern, Nova Innovation, Sustainable Marine Energy and Bluewater.

The full programme is available to view here: Ocean Energy Europe 2015 Conference Programme

EMEC is attending Tidal Today’s International Tidal Energy Summit (ITES) in London on 24-25th November 2015.

Attending ITES:

• Oliver Wragg, Commercial Director
• John Griffiths, Technical/Compliance Director

If you would like to arrange a meeting at the conference, please email info@emec.org.uk or call +44(0)1856 852 060.

Speaking at ITES:

Day 1: Floating Structures Q&A panel – will they be commercially favourable?

Oliver is chairing this session which is looking to:

• assess how floating structures capture energy within the fastest flowing water to be more efficient than fixed structures;
• understand the benefits of having have easy access during installations and maintenance; and
• determine how the O&M costs are significantly reduced to allows a project to come to commercial fruition.

Joining him in this session are representatives from Scotrenewables, Sustainable Marine Energy, Magallanes, Bluewater Energy Services, Schottel Hydro and MCT.

Day 2: Tackling the risks and costs around marine operations

John is speaking in this session alongside representative from Mojo Maritime, Siemens Subsea Connectors, and Mammoet Decom.

The session will:

• review various options for vessel strategies to reduce marine operational costs;
• look to understand the process of putting a device on the seabed and managing cable connection simultaneously to achieve cost-effectiveness;
• discuss the role of a standardised interface to improve the installation phase; and
• look at the communication systems in place by a developer to effectively manage communication amongst several contactors at installation.

The full agenda for the event is available here: ITES Agenda

Looking forward to seeing you there.

EMEC is sponsoring the Micro Business Award at the prestigious VIBES Award this year. The awards ceremony will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh on 26 November 2015.

The Micro Business Award is an additional award for the best entry to any category from a company with less than 10 employees.

As a verification body for Environmental Technology Verification (ETV), EMEC can verify performance claims of innovative environmental technologies and will be providing advice and guidance on ETV to VIBES award candidates.

ETV in a nutshell:

A new tool to help innovative environmental technologies reach the market.

• Energy technologies
• Water treatment and monitoring technologies
• Materials, waste & resources

You’ll receive a Statement of Verification at the end of the ETV process: evidence that the claims are both credible and scientifically sound. With proof of performance credibly assured, innovations can expect to:

• Attract investment
• Increase your market share
• Differentiate from your competitors

Verification by qualified third parties: EMEC is accredited to ISO 17020 and the EU ETV General Verification Protocol to perform verifications under the EU ETV Pilot Programme.

For further information, visit: EMEC-ETV

VIBES Award

Businesses in Scotland are taking significant steps to improve or reduce their impact on the environment, often saving money in the process. The VIBES Awards are held each year to recognise and showcase best practice.

The awards aim to encourage the efficient use of resources, enhance the competitiveness of businesses, improve environmental performance and support the wider goals of sustainable development including social benefits through community and staff involvement.

There are seven award categories:

• Circular Economy Award
• Co-operation Award
• Environmental Product or Service Award
• Hydro Nation Award
• Management Award
• Micro Business Award
• Transport Award

For more details, visit: VIBES Awards 2015

We’re delighted to have been shortlisted in the Export category for the Scottish Green Energy Awards. The finalists will be announced at the Awards Dinner on 3 December 2015.

We’re up against two leading renewables consultancies, including local firm Aquatera. It’s also great to see two other local renewables companies – Green Marine and Leask Marine – in the running for the Best Supplier category.

Wave Energy Scotland are rightly up for the Best Innovation Award for the great work they’ve been doing encouraging innovation within the wave energy industry.

And our collaboration partner FloWave have been nominated for best photography.

Good luck to all the nominees.

Look forward to seeing you there.

About the Scottish Green Energy Awards

Representing all sectors of the Scottish renewable energy industry, The Scottish Green Energy Awards is a shop window for the pioneering work taking place in Scotland and is very much a celebration for all.

For more information, visit: The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2015