The growing success of Nordic marine energy companies – backed with the EU support – has been highlighted at the recently held event.
The event, organized by Ocean Energy Europe , and Ocean Energy Sweden , provided a platform for Nordic technology developers to discuss opportunities and challenges of the marine energy sector together with European Commission officials.
The expert panels, which have consisted of world-leading technology developers showcased marine energy successes to-date through ocean deployment, with discussions on how the EU and its Member States are helping, and what challenges lay ahead.
With strong support from the EU, Nordic technology developers are at the forefront in ocean energy development, while testing and demonstration programs undertaken at Europe’s world leading infrastructures continue to generate learning, innovation and leverage further investments, according to the organizers.
“Further deployments in real sea conditions are now key to moving the sector forward, so we can generate operational data, improve knowledge of device behaviour and improve logistics and processes.
As deployment increases, both manufacturing and installation processes are standardized and industrialized, unfolding the paths to cost reductions,” the event organizers said.
Swedish developer Minesto was one of the companies which participated at the event, with its CFO Fredrik Ahlström present on a panel debate which focused on the route to market for new technologies like Minesto’s marine energy converter Deep Green.
Commenting on the event, Ahlström said: “It was a great opportunity to give the European Commissioning an update on Minesto’s operations and plans for market penetration. We had productive discussions regarding how the EU can support Minesto and other technology developers in deploying more devices and thereby reducing the cost of energy produced.”
To remind, Minesto recently completed initial commissioning trials of its 500kW Deep Green tidal device off the coast of Holyhead in North West Wales, and is now conducting further testing before the second commissioning phase to verify the power take-off system and electricity generation.