Standards update

Benchmarks for best practice have been drawn up for the fast emerging marine energy industry – to stimulate the development of wave and tidal power systems. EMEC, the Orkney-based European Marine Energy Centre, brought together an army of experts to produce the new guidelines. Designed to encourage a high quality approach to the challenge of generating power at sea, they will be launched at the world’s biggest marine energy event.

The guidelines cover everything from the way energy in waves or tidal currents is measured – to the design of wave and tidal energy devices, their deployment at sea and eventual decommissioning.

“It’s been a huge task, with the guidelines and draft standards written by experts in their particular field,” said EMEC technical director John Griffiths. “But we were able to call on the talents of 150 people from across the industry who provided enormous energy, enthusiasm and support at the workshops where this project was developed.”

The EMEC initiative was supported with funding worth around £400,000 from the Scottish Government and the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The aim was to agree draft standards and guidelines that are useful, relevant and authoritative and cover all aspects of the new and rapidly evolving marine energy industry.

With the task now completed, they will be launched later this month at BWEA Wave and Tidal 09, billed as the world’s largest event dedicated to marine energy.
EMEC is the world’s first grid-connected test centre for machines that generate electricity by harnessing the power of the sea.

“Our mission is to stimulate and encourage the development of technologies that can convert power from waves and tidal streams into a sustainable source of energy,” said Mr Griffiths. “All industries – everything from agriculture to aviation – operate to a set of agreed standards and we saw it as vital that similar guidelines are in place for the new marine energy industry. We’ve looked at everything a developer needs to consider when creating and using a marine energy device – and we’re encouraging everyone across the industry to follow the new guidelines. We believe they will help underpin the future development of wave and tidal technologies, so we were delighted to be given the opportunity to lead this important task.”

Among the topics covered, the new guidelines provide a means to assess the energy potential of the marine environment and offer a blueprint in how to calculate the performance of wave and tidal energy machines. Others give developers a way to assess the reliability and maintainability of their devices, and their ability to survive in harsh sea conditions.

“There are many challenges still to be overcome before we arrive at wave and tidal technologies that can generate electricity on a truly commercial scale,” said Mr Griffiths. “These guidelines provide a means to compare the capabilities of the many technologies currently under development, whether they are operating in Scottish waters or in a tide race off New Zealand.”

Written and developed under EMEC’s leadership, they are being published by BSI British Standards, the UK’s national standards organisation.

Mike Low, director of BSI British Standards, said: “We are pleased to be the official publisher of the EMEC guidelines. This new guidance from EMEC aligns with other publications developed by BSI. These include a new energy management standard, expected to be published this summer, that could help organisations improve energy efficiency and reduce their costs.”

It is hoped that some of the EMEC guidelines will develop into agreed standards for the marine energy industry, both in the UK and internationally.

The launch event takes place at a special reception on April 29 at Bath’s historic Pump Rooms on the eve of BWEA Wave and Tidal 09.