Blog: ICOE 2012 update
Eileen Linklater and Lisa MacKenzie from EMEC’s commercial team attended the International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) held in Dublin last week. This was a brilliant opportunity to catch up with clients and industry stakeholders, as well as hear about the many advancements in marine renewables taking place across the globe. Eileen’s presentation on EMEC: ‘Innovation in action – update on learning from 11 marine energy converters in Orkney’ was both well attended and well received.
Following the conference, we joined a day bus tour to see some of Ireland’s tidal energy sites. First stop was OpenHydro’s tidal turbine manufacturing facility in Greenore, County Louth where James Ives, CEO, provided a great presentation on the company’s history and the Open Centre Turbine. We were then provided a tour of the facility, and got up close to some early versions of the turbine, as well as their new 7th generation test turbine which is due to be installed in their bespoke test rig at the EMEC tidal test site in the coming weeks.
Next, it was up to Northern Ireland to see Marine Current Turbine’s Seagen tidal energy system in Strangford Lough, County Down, with Jeremy Rogers of MCT providing an overview of the technology. After a short boat trip, we witnessed the tide at peak flow rushing past the structure at around 8 knots (4m/s): similar conditions as to what developers face at the EMEC tidal test site at the Fall of Warness, in Orkney (off the northern island of Eday).
A thoroughly enjoyable and insightful tour, made all the better in the glorious Irish sun.
