Page 10: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jun/Jul 2015)

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Opinion

Thought Thought ThoughtStream

Neil Kermode, CEO, European Marine Energy Centre

Globalizing marine energy his past year has undoubtedly been standards for plugs and sockets in technologies to colonize these optimum

T one of the most challenging experi- isolation and the end result is pointless niches more rapidly than if tackled in enced by the marine energy industry in diversity of detail in the simple plugs isolation.

its short life, with some of our colleagues throughout the world. Alongside technology development, within the wave sector hardest hit. Marine energy devices are no different. we need to be able to assist policy mak-

However, as an emerging industry In time, wave and tidal technologies will ers. A tremendous technology is useless working in the most extreme of environ- ? nd their markets in dozens of countries if there is nowhere to put it and, as our ments, setbacks are par for the course. and EMEC wants this to be as easy as experience in Scotland has shown, policy

Technology developers have known this possible both for the technology develop- has a central role to play in creating a from the outset, yet they’ve remained ers at EMEC and the ultimate customers marine energy market. undaunted, approaching the task in hand here and overseas. We want a wave or Each country with marine resources with determination and energy. tidal device that is certi? ed at EMEC to will have to think about policy measures

Writing a new chapter in the global be immediately marketable in any coun- for seabed leasing, environmental impact energy story was never going to be easy, try, without expensive and time consum- assessment, grid infrastructure, grants but that goal we are all striving for — of ing re-validation. and tariffs. Scotland’s experience and meeting a signi? cant proportion of the expertise in these areas is already being world’s energy needs cleanly and from sought around the world and trade is a perpetual resource — is now tantaliz- being developed because of it.

ingly close with commercial array testing Scotland has led the way in harvest- “Each country has its own fast approaching. ing energy from the sea so far, but now unique conditions, both physical

In Orkney, Scotland, we’ve witnessed Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Singapore, the shift from hypothetical potential to South Korea, Taiwan, the US, many and political, and exploring the actual reality of what the industry European countries and others are all in these challenges simultaneously can achieve, with around 300 people the business of establishing their own employed locally in around 40 different national infrastructures — having sought will enable marine energy companies. As a case study for marine EMEC’s advice and consultancy ser- technologies to colonize these renewables, the rest of the world is pay- vices as they establish their own testing ing very close attention to what’s happen- centers. optimum niches more rapidly

No one said that marine energy was ing in our peripheral community. than if tackled in isolation.” going to be easy. However, this network of

At the European Marine Energy Centre worldwide test centers will foster global (EMEC), we are working closely with market development, create common stan- countries across the Americas, Asia, dards and enable the progress of wave and

Australasia and Europe to support the tidal energy into the global mix. establishment of a global network of test Critical to this is the development sites that, I believe, will lead to a commu- of a standard approach to performance nity of interest with common approaches and resource assessment. If technolo- Neil Kermode was appointed as manag- to the business of marine energy. gies invented in the UK and developed ing director in November 2005. Before

The establishment of common global here at EMEC are to become established EMEC, Kermode worked as a project standards, developed by worldwide as global products, then it is vital that developer of a tidal scheme in Orkney experience, is critical to the development each international test center uses the following six years at an environment of a global marine renewables industry. same standards so investors can compare agency dealing with regulation and One only has to travel overseas and results from one center with results at development issues, particularly relating attempt to plug in a computer or other another. to public participation in decisions on electronic device to realize the dif? cul- Each country has its own unique ? ooding, waste and water resources. He ties that will likely occur if we do not conditions, both physical and political, was a keen scuba diver and is a Fellow work at this together. and exploring these challenges simul- of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a

Each country established its own taneously will enable marine energy Chartered Environmentalist.

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