Testing Wave & Tidal Energy Innovations at Sea

05.03.2015

The state of the art test facilities at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney provide developers with access to real sea conditions around islands north of Scotland, with planning consents and grid connections already in place.

Established in 2003, The European Marine Energy Centre is the first and only centre of its kind in the world to provide for developers of both wave and tidal energy converters.

Technologies that generate electricity by harnessing the power of waves and tidal streams need to be developed and evaluated with purpose-built and accredited open-sea testing facilities.

Orkney is an ideal base with its excellent oceanic wave regime, strong tidal currents, grid connection, sheltered harbour facilities and the renewable, maritime and environmental expertise that exists within the local community.

With 14 full-scale test berths, there have been more grid-connected marine energy converters deployed at EMEC than any other single site in the world, with developers attracted from around the globe.

These developers use the facilities to prove what is achievable in some of the harshest marine environments, while in close proximity to sheltered waters and harbours.

EMEC also operate two ‘Scale Test Sites’ where smaller scale devices, or those at an earlier stage in their development, can gain real sea experience in less challenging conditions than those experienced at the full-scale wave and tidal test sites.

EMEC are at the forefront in the development of international standards having coordinated the development of a suite of twelve industry guidelines, six of which are being progressed for global adoption as the first international standards for marine energy.