Marine Energy Pembrokeshire

MEP annual seminar to be held on May 17th – Full programme now confirmed

editor — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:54:20 +0000

This will be the 3rd Annual Seminar held by MEP with previous events fully booked with targeted candidates attending from the UK and Europe. The event provides the industry, government, statutory advisors and academia with greater clarity on the current status and future plans for marine renewables in Pembrokeshire. It also provides unique networking opportunities for the sector and has attracted over 200 delegates since 2010.

The keynote address will be provided by our Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development John Griffiths, who will be emphasising Wales’ commitment to marine energy as outlined in the First Ministers recent statement Energy Wales: A Low Carbon Transition. The event will be chaired by Martin Murphy (Managing Director, Tidal Energy Limited with speakers including David Krohn (Wave and Tidal Energy Development Manager, RenewableUK) – Max Carcas (European Marine Energy Centre) – Halcrow (Wales Marine Infrastructure Study) – Dr Miles Willis (LCRI Marine) – Johnny Gowdy (Director, Offshore renewables at RegenSW) – Neil Morgan, (Head of Energy, Technology Strategy Board) – Milford Haven Port Authority . To view details of the 2011 seminar then click here.

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TEL announces plans for expansion of tidal energy off the Pembrokeshire Coastline

editor — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:40:37 +0000

29 April 2012

Marine renewables company Tidal Energy Ltd, together with renewable energy development company Eco2 Ltd, have announced plans to further develop their commercial scale tidal energy device to tap into the enormous potential for renewable power generation from the tidal currents around the UK and beyond.

As well as its test site in Ramsey Sound, Pembrokeshire, for which Tidal Energy Ltd has secured £12M of funding for the deployment of a single 1.2MW DeltaStream device, it also plans to install its first array of up to 10MW in 2016/2017. All consents have been achieved for deployment of the first full scale prototype.

The Crown Estate has now granted a lease agreement for a tidal energy project off St David’s Head, Pembrokeshire. The lease gives Eco2 and TEL five years to complete their surveys, scoping and consultation, and to secure the necessary licences and operating consents from the Welsh Government and Marine Management Organisation. The preparatory consent work for this array is already underway.

On achieving planning consent, a full lease that would enable TEL to construct and operate the tidal energy array will be granted.

Managing Director of Tidal Energy Ltd, Martin Murphy said, “The waters off Pembrokeshire are ideally suited to tidal energy development, and we are looking forward to working in this area again in the near future. We are going to use the experience we gain from the first twelve months of the demonstration site in Ramsey Sound to develop the pre-commercial farm off St David’s Head.”

Invented by Pembrokeshire engineer Richard Ayre, DeltaStream sits on the sea bed without the need for a positive anchoring system. It generates electricity from three separate horizontal axis turbines mounted on a common frame. The device has been designed to be easily installed, with minimal impact on the environment.

Chief Executive of Eco2, David Williams said, “Getting a demonstration array of devices in the water will allow us to progress our plans for commercial scale production with a view to achieving at least a 5-10% market share of installed capacity in the UK by 2020. The growing industry will also generate a number of sustainable, green jobs.”

Eco2 has developed its reputation as a leading renewable energy development company with a portfolio of successful projects in biomass, onshore wind and landfill gas. Its shareholders view highly the prospects for the growing marine renewable sector and hence have made significant investment in Tidal Energy Ltd for the development and proving of the DeltaStream device.

Source www.tidalenergyltd.com/?p=1112

Government has today launched its eagerly awaited £20 million Marine Energy Array Demonstrator scheme (MEAD).

editor — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:41:13 +0000

Government has today 5th April launched its eagerly awaited £20 million Marine Energy Array Demonstrator scheme (MEAD). This scheme will support up to 2 pre-commercial projects to demonstrate the operation of wave and/or tidal devices in array formation over a period of time. Organisations across the UK will be able to bid for a share of the £20million announced last summer helping spur on growth in this exciting new sector.

Marine power has huge potential and the UK is already leading the way for the rest of the world to follow. Generating energy from the power of waves or tides could provide up to 20% of current UK electricity demand and also help cut carbon emissions and support thousands of UK jobs.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “This scheme will help move marine power to the next stage of development, the demonstration of a number of wave and tidal devices in array formation out at sea. This will take us one vital step closer to realising our ambitions of generating electricity from the waves and tides, powering homes and businesses across the whole of the UK with clean, green electricity.”The up to £20million MEAD scheme is part of a co-ordinated programme of innovation support for marine technology being delivered by the Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group (LCICG). Winning bids will be announced by Government towards the end of the year.

Organisations can apply to the MEAD scheme online via the DECC website. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 1 June 2012. DECC will host an event on 2 May for anyone interested in applying and would encourage anyone planning to submit a bid to attend to learn more about the requirements of the scheme.

Any grant awards under the MEAD will be subject to State Aid approval by the European Commission.

Bids will be judged by an assessment panel on a range of criteria including the ability to generate a minimum of 7GWh per year and the use of at least three generating devices, previously demonstrated at full scale in sea conditions. Projects must be up and running by the end of March 2016.

Further details on how to apply for support from the MEAD scheme and the MEAD application support event on 2 May can be found HERE

Welsh Government launch new energy strategy and lead the drive to develop a competitive marine energy sector in Wales

editor — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:40:07 +0000

The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales will today (March 14th) launch ‘Energy Wales: A Low Carbon Transition’. The actions in Energy Wales show how Welsh Government will lead the transition to low carbon – to lay the foundations for a better future and maximise the long term benefits to Wales along the way.

Carwyn Jones stated “I am determined that within our responsibilities we will do all that we can. The actions in Energy Wales show how we will act to make it happen – by providing leadership and a stable framework; by maximising the benefits of all energy development and energy efficiency; and by positioning Wales at the forefront of harnessing energy from the sea and the move to smart living. Business is essential to our energy and our economic future. We therefore aim to build on Wales’ reputation – working in partnership with industry – to ensure that we are not only ‘open for business’, but are once again seen as a global centre for energy”.

On marine energy the document provides key commitments from Government to lead the drive to developing a competitive marine energy sector in Wales including:

- Working with local delivery groups such as Marine Energy Pembrokeshire

- Ensuring Wales’ energy infrastructure is responsive to the marine sector’s needs.

- Completing the marine energy infrastructure project in order to identify strategic sites for wave and tidal stream developments and the wider actions that will be needed to support them.

- Work with The Crown Estate and industry to bring forward a marine energy leasing round for Welsh waters as soon as possible.

- Continue to support institutions like the LCRI and SEACAMS to develop world class academic expertise and innovative technologies to meet the growing global demand for marine renewables.

- Provide robust and timely information and guidance to the emerging marine renewable energy sector on the nature of the opportunities in Welsh waters.

- Work with partners to promote Wales as a centre for marine renewables.

- Investigate mechanisms for advancing the deployment of marine energy arrays.

- Gear up training providers to ensure capacity exists to deliver a future workforce with the necessary skills required to support the commercial deployment of marine energy investments.

- Continue to press the UK Government hard for both a fair resolution to the current situation that sees Wales lose out under the Renewables Obligation in comparison with other parts of the UK and, a longer term solution under the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) that provides a more equitable and stronger support mechanism for marine energy in Wales.

Ernst & Young: Green energy investors turned on to UK opportunity

editor — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:37:09 +0000

Wind projects and clarity over solar policy see UK rise to fifth in ranking of 40 countries’ attractiveness to green investors

Advancing plans for a fleet of large offshore wind projects have seen the UK rise to fifth on a list of the world’s most attractive countries for renewable energy investors, providing a timely boost to the government’s green agenda. Plans for the world’s largest wind farm, a £4.5bn, 1,500MW development 13 miles off the coast of Caithness in Scotland, as well as the award of a £150m European Investment Bank loan to wind farm developer Vattenfall to support the extension of the existing Thanet offshore wind farm were cited as the main drivers behind Ernst & Young’s decision to move the UK up one place in its quarterly Country Attractiveness Index report.

The UK rose to fifth on the list, moving it above Italy which drops to sixth on the list. The move comes just a day after a survey by the Guardian newspaper revealed some of the world’s largest wind energy companies are reviewing their investment plans in the UK in response to growing political opposition to wind energy from some influential MPs. Ernst & Young said that it had upgraded the UK’s position following the increased investment in offshore wind energy, as well as a 762MW rise in solar capacity during 2011, and the launch of a government consultation on PV subsidy levels that promises to provide some much needed clarity for the sector and “control expenditures going forward within its existing spending framework”.

The company also highlighted how proposed improvements to the Renewables Obligation support mechanism for marine energy and biomass projects had informed the shift in the change in the league table. China, the USA, Germany and India led the way among the 40 countries assessed for the Country Attractiveness Indices report (CAI) with the report also predicting that emerging renewable energy markets will continue to prosper at the expense of Western nations during 2012.

A combination of capital scarcity and the sovereign debt crisis is expected to continue to stifle investment and policy ambition in the Eurozone, Ernst & Yound said. Spain, rated the most attractive country five years ago, is now outside the top 10 entirely after it suspended payments to new renewables plants, while many other countries across Europe have cut subsidies. In contrast, China has upped its solar target for three years’ time to 15GW while the Indian government has similarly signalled that it wants to accelerate the development of its renewables sector.

The report also highlighted on-going policy uncertainty in the US and Germany, despite their position as leading renewable energy markets. The US is seeing record investment in onshore wind last year as developers scramble to take advantage of the expiring 1603 grant, which could be axed at the end of the year. The report predicted the boom could prove short-lived if the incentive expires at the end of the year, noting that while President Obama has indicated he wants to extend it there remains a great deal of uncertainty about whether he will be able to do so.

The report also detailed how Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear plants in 2022 gave its renewable industry a timely boost, but warned that finding capital is likely to be more difficult as lending costs rise. ”Access to capital over the next 12 months, whether debt or equity, is likely to define more than any other factor the difference between survival or failure,” said Ben Warren, Ernst & Young’s energy and environmental finance leader.

“Capital constraints will therefore be a major driver for transaction activity, from distressed consolidation to creative joint ventures and partnerships.” The latest league table was welcomed by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, which hailed it as evidence the country remains well placed to attract international investors. ”We remain top of the pile for offshore wind, and fifth overall for all renewables – up one place on last year,” he said. “We’re in this market to win it for the UK, and this is welcome proof that investors see the UK as a leading clean energy destination.”

Sourced from http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2155458/ernst-green-energy-investors-uk-opportunity

New enterprise zone set for Pembrokeshire

editor — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:48:12 +0000

Two enterprise zones could be set up in Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd, it has emerged. The news was announced as Business Minister Edwina Hart outlined further details on new industrial sites earmarked around Wales. The creation of the first five enterprise zones serving different industries was announced in September. Ms Hart has also outlined an extension to the St Athan zone in the Vale of Glamorgan to include Cardiff Airport. Other zones are to be set up at Anglesey, Ebbw Vale, Deeside, and Cardiff to support key industries around Wales.

Ms Hart said two new enterprise zones could be created at Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, and Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire. Pembrokeshire council leader councillor John Davies said that in its enterprise zone application, the authority identified brownfield locations near to existing energy sites around the Milford Haven waterway. ”We are delighted that the minister has recognised the importance of the energy sector to the future prosperity of Pembrokeshire and Wales,” he said.

Milford Haven Port Authority chief executive Alec Don welcomed Haven Waterway’s success as a new zone in Pembrokeshire ”Widely recognised as the energy capital of the UK, the waterway has strategic importance to the UK and plays a vital role in the growth of the Welsh economy; supporting thousands of jobs,” he said. ”We look forward to working with our partners to further progress the possible designation of the Milford Haven waterway as a potential enterprise zone in due course.”

Sourced from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-16813803

Tidal Energy Limited completes first phase of onshore works in Ramsey Sound

editor — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:53:33 +0000

Preparatory work to enable the DeltaStream demonstration tidal energy device to be connected to the existing electricity distribution network at St Justinians – when it is installed later this year – has been completed in Ramsey Sound, Pembrokeshire. Welsh Marine Renewable Energy Company – Tidal Energy Ltd – appointed civil engineering and building construction Company, Raymond Brown Ltd from Bridgend to carry out the work which lasted two weeks.

Chris Williams, Development Director of Tidal Energy said, “We have broken down the onshore works into two phases to minimise any disruption to the area and to avoid the tourism seasons. “The first phase of this work incorporates laying cable ducts from the cliff edge to our compound site in the RNLI’s field, which we have now successfully finished. We ensured that disruption was kept to a minimum and the site has now been reinstated to its original condition. “The second phase of works will take place within the compound area in the RNLI field. These works are planned to take place later this year.”

Consent for the 12 month demonstration project was granted by the Welsh Government (WG) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in March 2011.

New report – Wave Resources in South Wales and a Comparison with Wave Climate at the Wave Hub

editor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:45:24 +0000

Executive Summary

A variety of resource assessments have calculated available areas, constraints and possible installed capacities for wave energy in Wales. While these are useful from a strategic point of view, from an operational or project planning point of view, analysis of measured wave statistics is required. This work presents data from wave buoys within and close to the Pembrokeshire resource areas. The viability of three types of wave energy converters, an attenuator, point absorber and an offshore overtopping device, are considered based on data measured at the Turbot Bank (51.603N, 5.1W) buoy and the Aberporth (52.3N, 4.5W) buoy. Comparison between the measured Welsh resource and data collected at the Wave Hub site in Cornwall is presented. Both Wales and Cornwall have similar wave resources with differences in device capacity factor of between 0-2%. This makes Pembrokeshire a very attractive location for the deployment of wave energy converters in the UK, especially given the proximity to large port facilities for maintenance and population centres along the M4 corridor for electricity use.

To download the report please click here

Alderney to provide FAB link between Britain and France

editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:27:18 +0000

Alderney’s tidal development company Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) says it has agreed to develop an electricity interconnector cable between France, Alderney and Britain. The different organisations involved – ARE, its partner Transmission Capital (TCL) and French grid operator RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité) visualise an interconnector, known as the FABLink, that will be able to export up to 4 gigawatts of tidal power from Alderney’s waters and create a power trading link between the two countries.

The company also says it has agreed to develop tidal arrays in Alderney waters with French naval defence and energy company DCNS, which owns a stake in Open Hydro. Both agreements are supported by the UK and French governments. As the agreement was signed, the French Industry Minister Eric Besson and the UK Energy Secretary Edward Davey declared in a statement:

“We are determined to promote the potential of marine energies. We welcome the plan for a tidal turbine farm off Alderney-Aurigny in the Channel Islands. The commercial agreements signed today between Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) / DCNS and ARE / Transmission Capital / Réseau de Transport d’Electricité are major steps towards the realisation of a significant new renewable energy project which could rank among the largest tidal stream energy deployments worldwide.”

Sourced from http://social.tidaltoday.com/intelligence-brief/fortnightly-intelligence-brief-8-february-%E2%80%93-22-february-2012

Siemens acquires majority stake in Marine Current Turbines

editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:23:34 +0000

German manufacturing company Siemens has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Marine Current Turbines (MCT). The company had already taken a 45% share in the company in November 2011. It stated that it considers the acquisition to be a major addition to its €30 billion environmental portfolio and described the move as a step towards securing a leading position in the tidal sector. According to newswire Bloomberg, Siemens has increased its stake in the company to over 90%.

“We will continue to drive the commercialization of this promising technology,” stated Ted Scheidegger, CEO of the Solar & Hydro Division of Siemens Energy. On his side, the MCT CEO Andrew Tyler declared the company was satisfied with the investment: “Siemens’ acquisition is hugely welcomed by staff and management at MCT and signals great confidence in MCT’s achievements over many years,” he said.

Siemens’ increased stake in the company sends out positive signals for the development of tidal arrays planned in Scotland (Kyle Rhea) and Wales (Skerries). “We have proved the performance and reliability of our SeaGen technology and we continue to invest time and money to improve SeaGen’s operation. Coupled with the backing of Siemens Energy, we are confident that there will be strong investment interest in our two projects,” stated Andrew Tyler.

Sourced from http://social.tidaltoday.com/intelligence-brief/fortnightly-intelligence-brief-8-february-%E2%80%93-22-february-2012