Scottish Marine Power Crucial To Achieving Energy Targets

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

Green Ocean Energy Briefs MSPs On Sector’s Future

A pioneering Scottish wave power company will today highlight the need for ongoing support to ensure the country remains at the forefront of the global marine renewable industry.

Green Ocean Energy, based in Aberdeen, is meeting politicians at the Scottish Parliament to outline the major role marine power will play in helping to reach ambitious renewable energy targets. The briefing for MSPs will also underline the importance of continued political and financial assistance.

Graeme Bell, Special Projects Director at Green Ocean Energy, said: “Scotland has a fantastic wealth of knowledge and experience within the sector and it is vital that the necessary support is put in place to maximise this and firmly establish the country at the leading light within this sector.

“We welcome the steps the Government has already taken to support marine energy companies and were greatly encouraged by the Marine Energy Roadmap issued by the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland earlier this year. Funding remains a major hurdle to the growth of the industry and we hope that continuing support will be provided to help the companies overcome this and reach their full potential.”

Scotland is committed to generating half of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Green Ocean Energy’s unique wave power device called Wave Treader is expected to play an integral role in helping it meet those ambitions. The wave energy converter (WEC) attaches to the column of an offshore wind turbine and so harnesses the combined force of wind and wave energy making wind farms significantly more efficient and profitable. The technology is already attracting significant attention from the energy sector and is anticipated to reach commercialisation by 2012. The company’s second device, Ocean Treader uses very similar technology and will be deployed in a fully floating offshore wave farm.

Brian Adam MSP for Aberdeen North, added: "This year in the Scottish Parliament we have passed world leading legislation to tackle Climate Change and for that to succeed we must reduce our emissions in the production of energy by moving away from carbon intensive sources to renewables. It is through the entrepreneurship of exciting and innovative firms like Green Ocean Energy that we will be able to meet our targets and harness the full potential of Scotland’s wave and wind power. I look forward to discussing with Green Ocean Energy and other MSPs how we can achieve that goal.”

Scale prototypes of Wave Treader and Ocean Treader have undergone rigorous wave tank testing and the company is now preparing to construct a full scale model with a view to achieving commercialisation in 2012.

Green Ocean Energy’s directors have extensive oil and gas experience which has enabled them to engineer wave power technology that is robust enough to withstand the offshore environment. The company is backed by a mix of public and private sector investors and last month secured a financial package totalling £250,000 through Scottish Enterprise’s Seed Funding and Private Investment.