The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and Enel Green Power (EGP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim to encourage knowledge sharing in marine energy technology development and performance assessment, and to drive forward collaborations in marine energy demonstration projects.
The partnership will address a gap in independent marine energy testing against international standards, the development of which would increase credibility and trust in the sector.
Working in collaboration and sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, EMEC and EGP will provide both public and private investors with increased confidence in the industry and therefore encourage future investment and growth in marine renewable energy, EMEC said.
Rob Flynn , international development manager at EMEC said: “EMEC is very happy to collaborate with EGP on supporting marine energy development. As an independent test lab, EMEC is at the cutting edge of assessing marine energy technologies. EGP is a global leader in renewables, and with first-rate technology due diligence processes. This project will help us learn from each other and drive the marine energy sector forward.”
Fabio Fugazzotto , head of Marine Innovation at Enel Green Power, said: “This cooperation will allow us to share our expertise and know-how on marine energy with EMEC, leveraging on lessons learned and internationally recognized evaluation standards, with the aim to explore future opportunities in the ocean energy sector.”
Based in Orkney, Scotland, EMEC supports the testing, demonstration and assessment of wave and tidal energy technologies by providing test sites suitable for early stage sea deployments through to full-scale grid-connected trials. EMEC supports technology development from concept to commercialization, including consenting compliance, environmental monitoring, technical verification, and independent performance assessment.
EGP is the global renewable business line of the Enel Group. EGP is at the forefront in promoting innovation in green energy, including exploring applications for wave and marine energy technologies.