Scotland jockeying to become a leader in marine power

The Scottish government has awarded the equivalent of $25 million USD to marine energy projects in Scottish waters, mostly in Orkney, where the world's largest commercial wave power farm is being developed.

Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen today revealed details of nine projects that will share the funding, with the initial fund of $15 million increased by $10 million to meet demand. An additional $975,000 has been set aside to develop a testing facility at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

"Scotland has the potential to generate a quarter of Europe's marine energy and kick-starting the sector is vital if we are to create a significant industry based in Scotland," said Stephen.

The bulk of the successful projects will take place in and around the EMEC, with the installation of small arrays/single devices at the wave and tidal test facilities there. Devices are expected in the water this year, with full commissioning during 2008.

An additional $4.8 million has been dedicated for upgrading the site at the EMEC to help accommodate these devices.

Successful bidders for a share of the marine energy funding include (all figures converted to USD equivalents):

• AWS Ocean Energy - $4.15 million
  Commissioned to design, construct, install, and test a demonstration of the 500kW Archimedes Wave Swing ("AWS") wave energy converter at the EMEC.
• ScotRenewables - $3.5 million
  To position and operate the SRTT, a floating tidal stream energy converter. Involves dual horizontal-axis rotors driving generators within sub-surface nacelles.
• Open Hydro - $2.36 million
  A 250kW Open Center Turbine will be installed on the sea bed at EMEC's tidal site. OpenHydro was the first company to install a tidal turbine at the EMEC.
• Ocean Power Technology - $1.16 million
  Will install the PowerBuoy, a buoy acting as a point absorber which moves up and down a central spar as waves pass by.
• Aquamarine Power Ltd - $536,000
  Will set up what it calls Oyster devices, designed to exploit wave resources in near-shore locations.
• Wavegen - $290,000
  To develop and test a Wells turbine system, expected to be used on a wave energy project on the Western Isles, at Siadar. To use Wavegen's existing Oscillating Water Column (OWC) at the Limpet site, near Portnahaven on the island of Islay.
• Tidal Generation Ltd - $150,000
  Will occupy an extracted area from a core sample of seabed located in the EMEC testing berth area.
• CRE Energy - $8.07 million
  Plans to arrange four of Ocean Power Delivery's Pelamis devices as a single wave energy array. Each device will be rated at 750kW, for a total array of output of 3MW.
• CleanTechCom - $532,000
  Is to install two 1 meter siphon pipes which pass through the Number 1 Churchill Barrier on land at the Northern tip of Lamb Holm island on Orkney.

Scottish Development International works to attract investment and knowledge to Scotland.

Scotland has already reached its target of generating 18 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, three years ahead of schedule.