UK wave projects get funding boost

LONDON, ENGLAND - Six of the most promising wave energy technologies have received additional funding from the UK's Carbon Trust to accelerate the development of full-scale devices.

The Trust has announced an extra £22 million (US $34 million) for its Marine Renewable Proving Fund (MRPF), which it has received from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The Trust said that marine energy is currently 10 years behind offshore wind development, but it expects this additional funding to result in thousands of commercial-scale marine energy devices being deployed in UK waters by 2020.

The six companies receiving the funds are Atlantis Resources Corporation, Aquamarine Power Limited, Hammerfest Strom UK, Marine Current Turbines, Pelamis Wave Power and Voith Hydro. Pelamis is working with Swedish power giant Vattenfall AB to create the first wave power project off the Shetland Islands.

"The UK must urgently diversify, decarbonize and secure its energy sources, and marine energy could over time provide up to 20% of the UK's electricity," said Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust. "Generating electricity from the UK's powerful wave and tidal resource not only plays a crucial role in meeting our climate change targets, but also presents a significant economic opportunity for the UK. Wave alone presents a £2 billion economic opportunity for the UK."

Lord Hunt of King's Heath, Minister of State for Energy, commented: "Our seas are a fantastic asset that could generate the kind of clean, green and home-grown wave and tidal power that will boost our transition to a low-carbon economy. With our excellent wave and tidal resources — the richest in Europe — and our expertise in oil and gas exploration, we are world leaders in this field. We need to continue to encourage innovation and ingenuity in the sector."

According to the Carbon Trust, 25% of the world's wave and tidal technologies are being developed in the UK. All of the devices receiving MRPF funding will be deployed in UK waters in order to stimulate supply-chain opportunities associated with constructing and deploying them.

Managing director of Hammerfest Strøm UK, Fraser McCreadie, spoke about how the grant will help: "The MRPF grant is very welcome in assisting the prototype development of the HS1000 device, which is expected to be fully operational in Orkney by 2011. After a test period, the company will work with ScottishPower Renewables, who have plans to install the device as part of a 10-megawatt tidal power array in the Sound of Islay by 2012. The Norwegian parent company intends to raise a further £12 million [US $18.7 million] for further commercial development of the company."

Max Carcas, business development director for Pelamis Wave Power, said: "Pelamis Wave Power and our partners on this project, E.ON, are delighted to have won such a significant award to support the manufacture, deployment and testing of our second-generation Pelamis 'P2' machine. The funding allocated today will both accelerate deployment of the machine in Orkney this year, and increase the scope and pace of trials through to March 2011."

In related news, Irish wave energy company OceanEnergy Limited has inked a development deal with leading U.S. turbine manufacturer Dresser-Rand Group Incorporated. The company has agreed to develop air turbines for the Ocean Energy Buoy, which has undergone two and a half years of successful testing at the Irish government's testing site in Galway Bay.

John McCarthy, chief executive of Ocean Energy, claimed the turbine development and supply agreement with Dresser-Rand marks a major milestone in the development of wave power in Ireland.

"The nature of our agreement is that Dresser-Rand have agreed to develop and supply turbines for our devices. We are the only company in the world Dresser-Rand have entered into a development and supply agreement, and we see this not only as an endorsement of our technology, but of the Irish Government's development strategy for the industry."