The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)’s Consents and Project Officer, Caitlin Long, has been shortlisted for the ‘Academic Award’ at the Scottish Renewables (SR) Young Professionals Green Energy Awards 2017.
The academic award is given each year to a talented graduate or student who has delivered exceptional work on a project or course.
Long joined EMEC in 2014, having graduated with an MSc in Marine Renewable Energy from Heriot Watt’s Orkney Campus at the International Centre for Island Technologies, and has since worked to streamline the consenting process for marine energy developers.
She has worked closely with one wave and four tidal developers ( Wello , Scotrenewables , Sustainable Marine Energy , Tocardo and Nautricity ), guiding them through the consenting process to ensure that all the necessary licences and consents are in place to get their technology deployed at EMEC’s sites.
Supporting Long’s nomination, Nikki Meek , Tocardo Project Development Manager, said: “Caitlin has been a fantastic support to us in achieving our recent Marine Licence to deploy at EMEC. Her knowledge of the consenting regime in Scotland is exceptional and the relationships and respect that she has built up with the regulator and various stakeholders has been invaluable in assisting us in securing our consent in a tight timescale.”
In addition to her role in supporting consenting, Caitlin led EMEC’s wildlife observations project and resulting wildlife displacement study, as well as developing guidance on the consenting process as part of Wave Energy Scotland’s knowledge capture project, EMEC said.
Caitlin Long said: “It’s an honor to be nominated for this award. Gaining the necessary licences and consents is a relatively unseen, but essential, part of the process of developing marine energy devices, so having this work recognized is most welcome.”
SR’s Young Professionals Green Energy Awards will reveal the winners at an event to be held on May 25, 2017, at the Glasgow Science Centre.
Scottish Green Energy Awards, run by SR, recognizes the contribution being made by the next generation of thinkers, shapers and decision makers in the renewable energy sector.