News this week

This was a busy week for EMEC’s Managing Director Neil Kermode who hosted a visit from the Saltire Prize Challenge Committee (www.saltireprize.com).

The Saltire Prize is a unique international challenge confirming Scotland’s ambition to become the leading force in clean, green, marine energy. The prize is a £10 million award which will go to the team that best demonstrates commercially viable wave or tidal stream energy in Scottish water. The technology will need to achieve a minimum electrical output of 100 GWh over a continuous two year period using only the power of the sea. Already a globally recognised brand, the Saltire Prize has attracted over 150 expressions of interest from more than 30 countries.

The Challenge Committee who oversee the prize chose to meet in Orkney this week – testament to the important role local work is playing in the development of marine renewables. The group visited Hatston and Lyness to see wave and tidal devices and learn about the important infrastructure upgrades being planned. They also visited EMEC and met with developers to gain their view of the industry. A reception was held in the Pier Arts Centre for local representatives from the Orkney Arts Forum and Orkney Renewable Energy Forum, as well as a meeting in Kirkwall with local Councillors. The packed itinerary generated lots of interesting discussion for all those involved.

Visitors from the Committee included:
Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and Chair of the Challenge Committee;
Terry Garcia, Executive Vice President for Mission programmes, National Geographic Society;
Jonathan Porritt, Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission since July 2000;
Dr Bernard Bulkin, Chair of Office for Renewable Energy, UK Department of Energy and Climate Change and Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission’s Steering Group on Climate Change, Energy and Transport;
Jaison Morgan, Founder/Managing Director, Commonpool;
Nicholas Eisenberger, Senior Strategist, Greenorder;
Professor Paul Jowitt, Professor of Civil Engineering Systems and Executive Director of the Scottish Institute of Sustainable Technology at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh;
David Wilson, Director for Energy, Scottish Government;
Plus joining the Committee for part of the visit were:
John Callaghan, The Crown Estate, Senior Policy Adviser – Marine and Tidal;
Sir Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government.

Some of the Committee members are pictured above visiting the EON P2 machine at Lyness on Orkney Marine Services Pilot boat the John Rae.