Five innovative marine energy projects are to share £13 million in support from a Scottish government fund that aims to help develop emerging energy technologies.
The five successful companies have been awarded funding from WATERS, a collaboration between the Scottish government, Scottish Enterprise and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
They include RWE npower renewables, which has been awarded £6 million to support construction of the 4 MW Siadar wave power station off the Western Isles, and Aquamarine Power, which will receive £3.15 million to support the demonstration of its Oyster 3 project at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.
The projects will ‘help to put Scotland on the map as the world’s leading centre for marine renewable energy’, says Scotland’s energy minister Jim Mather.
‘Our seas have unrivalled potential to generate clean, green energy and bring jobs, investment and know-how to Scotland,’ said Mather. ‘We have a quarter of Europe’s potential tidal energy resource and a tenth of the wave capacity.’
Around £1.85 million of the funds will go to OpenHydro to support development of a power conversion and control system that connects marine energy devices in tidal arrays. AWS Ocean Energy is to get £1.39 million to support tests in Loch Ness and the Cromarty Firth of a doughnut-shaped wave energy converter.
Ocean Flow Energy will build and deploy its ‘Evopod’, a 35 kW floating tidal energy turbine at Sanda Sound with £560 000 of funding.
‘Initial costs for marine energy are high and capital is needed – these grants will help attract further private investment,’ added Mather. ‘Our support will ensure a continuous stream of ideas and technologies can be tested, developed and refined at our world class testing centre on Orkney and elsewhere around Scotland.’
Mather continued: ‘Scotland is one of the most attractive markets for investment in wave and tidal power anywhere. Working with our enterprise agencies and other partners to develop our full potential, we will make Scotland a global leader in marine energy.’
