A delegation from the European Commission visited Orkney in Scotland this week to get a taste of the pioneering ocean energy advancements taking place across the archipelago.
Orkney’s Ocean Energy Day, part of EU Sustainable Energy Week, also included a public open day providing the local community with the opportunity to visit the European Marine Energy Centre’s (EMEC’s) onshore facilities and hear about the advancements taking place on their doorstep.
Hosted by EMEC and Ocean Energy Europe, representatives from DG Research and Innovation, DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and DG Energy visited EMEC’s onshore facilities at the Billia Croo wave test site.
After that, the attendees went on a boat tour of the wave and tidal energy test sites, witnessing technologies developed by Wello , OpenHydro and Tocardo generating electricity into the grid.
The group also boarded and looked inside Scotrenewables’ SR2000 turbine which is currently berthed at Hatston Pier in Kirkwall prior to it being redeployed at EMEC’s tidal test site at the Fall of Warness.
Neil Kermode , Managing Director of EMEC, said: “We currently have 13 EU-funded research projects taking place in Orkney, with €65 million levered by an array of European partners, so we were keen for the European Commission to see this innovation in action with their own eyes.”
Felix Leinemann , Head of Unit at DG Fisheries & Maritime Affairs at the European Commission, added: “Ocean energy is a promising and emerging sector for Europe. What is happening here in Orkney shows why the European Commission sees ocean energy as an integral part of its Blue Growth strategy: we can make use of the power of the sea while supporting sustainable growth and jobs.
“This visit demonstrates a highly integrated European sector and technological progress. In its aim to provide clean energy for all Europeans, the Commission is committed to long term ambitious objectives on renewables where ocean energy should take its part.”
(Photos: Colin Keldie; EMEC)
In addition to this, a seminar and exhibition was held at Warness Park, showcasing the ocean energy industry and its supply chain, both from Orkney and around the EU.