SEAI is leading a new pan-European project, Ocean Power Innovation Network (OPIN), which aims to accelerate the development of the ocean energy sector.
With a three year budget of €2.6 million, SEAI will partner with organizations in the UK, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands to explore ways to unlock the potential of this renewable energy resource.
“ We are stepping up our ambition on renewables as part of the all of government Climate Plan, and will be targeting 70% for renewable electricity by 2030. Decarbonising our electricity supply is a crucial part of reducing our overall emissions and harnessing Ireland’s ocean energy resources will be key to achieving this for 2030 and beyond.
“Projects like OPIN that enable European collaboration are critical to us unlocking opportunities to advance the development of our ocean energy sector ,” said Richard Bruton T.D. , Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment.
OPIN will encourage collaboration between the ocean energy sector and other sectors, such as oil and gas, automotive, aerospace, ICT, advanced materials, sensors, and manufacturing, to identify ways to grow the ocean energy supply chain.
“ The basic premise of OPIN is to encourage cross-sectoral and cross-regional collaboration for offshore renewable energy SMEs. This will bring proven expertise, capabilities and products into the ocean energy sector. As we work to remove barriers to offshore renewable energy development, OPIN will help to reduce costs and accelerate both technology and market development, ” added Jim Gannon , CEO, SEAI.