Weekly Intelligence Brief

EMEC prepares for marine power development

11 March 2010

EMEC has shared that is gearing up for the arrival this year of more devices capable of generating electricity from waves or tidal currents.

With two machines already undergoing sea trials at EMEC, five new staff are to be recruited to join the 13-member team currently running the centre. EMEC operates the world’s first open-sea, grid-connected test facilities for prototype wave and tidal energy technologies.

EMEC is to witness a variety of technologies being tested in the waters around Orkney during 2010. To keep up with demand, EMEC says it needs more staff. The centre is now seeking to fill three research posts, with two more staff needed to join the operations team looking after electrical and testing activities.

Dublin-based OpenHydro is the first developer to deploy a tidal turbine at EMEC and continues to trial successive generations of its technology in at the centre’s tidal test site. The company estimates that its coverall spend in Orkney, since 2006, is approaching £5 million. Building on that experience, OpenHydro has now successfully deployed a 400-tonne commercial turbine at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.

Earlier this year, Hammerfest Strøm UK bagged funding for the construction and testing of a 1 MW tidal power device at the Centre.

Read more:

EMEC: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/EMEC

Nova Scotia: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/Nova+Scotia

OpenHydro: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/OpenHydro