UK government looks to fund new marine power technology

The Engineer
June 28, 2011

Up to £20m of government money will go to funding new marine power technology, the climate change minister announced today.

The funds from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are designed to help two wave or tidal devices progress from current large-scale prototypes to bigger installations in the sea.

Climate change minister Greg Barker said: ‘Marine power has huge potential in the UK not just in contributing to a greener electricity supply and cutting emissions, but in supporting thousands of jobs in a sector worth a potential £15 billion to the economy to 2050.

‘Britain can be a world leader as we have decades of expertise in offshore industries and the most advanced devices are already being developed here.

‘Our geography gives us access to rich marine resources that act as a natural laboratory to test and run devices in realistic conditions, especially in Scotland and the South West where innovative work is already being carried out.’

Marine energy could provide 20 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs, offering a resource worth 36GW of power, according to trade body RenewableUK.

The new scheme is expected to open in spring next year and, subject to a value-for-money assessment, will support two projects to test prototypes in array formations.

This is the final development stage in generating large-scale electricity from marine power prior to commercial roll-out.
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