News this week
The Chilean Energy Minister, Mr Rodrigo Alvarez (see picture), visited EMEC on Saturday as part of an official two-day visit to Scotland investigating the potential for wave and tidal development in Chile. Neil Kermode provided a tour of the Billia Croo test site, which was followed by a discussion at EMEC with Aquatera, ICIT and Xodus. Whilst in Orkney Mr Alvarez took a boat trip to Lyness, viewing E.ON’s Pelamis P2 and Wello Oy’s Penguin device. The party also met with Scotrenewables at Hatston and got up close to their SRT250 device. The day before, he met with marine renewables stakeholders in Inverness, including Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism.
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 EMEC’s contribution to wave and tidal renewables. The symposium offers two days of presentations, technical discussions and networking opportunities focused around the use of acoustic doppler measurement technology in the field of offshore renewable energy. For more information on the symposium visit the Nortek website.
Wider news:
Rolls Royce has announced that its subsidiary company, Tidal Generation Ltd (TGL), have generated more than 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of power to the national grid since connecting in September 2010. TGL’s 500kw prototype tidal turbine is currently installed at the EMEC tidal test site at the Fall of Warness in Eday. This announcement highlights the significant potential that tidal power has in contributing to Scotland’s energy mix in the future. For further details click here.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL) has published a consultation document asking for views on a proposed new electricity link between Orkney and mainland Scotland. The connection is essential to Orkney in order for electricity generated by tidal and wave renewable energy projects in Orkney Waters and the Pentland First to export to the national grid. For more information on the consultation, click here.
