News this week

Neil Kermode, Richard Morris and Eileen Linklater joined nearly 4000 people in Liverpool this week to attend BWEA31 – the British Wind Energy Association’s annual renewable energy conference and exhibition. Neil gave a presentation as part of the Wave and Tidal Plenary – “The £60 Million RES Investment”. The session expanded upon the investment announcement made in June as part of the Renewable Energy Strategy, which saw EMEC receive £8 million in additional funding from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change to expand operations. In response to industry demand, the EMEC funding is to be put towards expanding capacity at both the wave and tidal test sites, as well as establishing new nursery sites for testing scale prototype marine energy converters. Neil spoke alongside Andrew Mill and Stephen Wilson, NaREC; Trevor Raggatt, Wave and Tidal Unit, DECC; Stephen Wyatt, The Carbon Trust; and Jonny Boston, South West RDA. Neil is pictured giving his presentation in the Main Auditorium.

EMEC yesterday welcomed a group of postgraduate students from the International Centre for Island Technology. Located in Stromness, ICIT is part of Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Petroleum Engineering. The Renewable Energy Development and Marine Resource Management MSc students were given a tour of EMEC by Stuart Baird, Operations Director. More information on ICIT and the courses (which can be undertaken via distance learning) can be found on their website.