The Carbon Trust has awarded £1 million in research funding to five projects aimed at bringing down the cost of marine energy by harnessing technologies from the aviation, oil and gas industries.
As part of the Trust’s Marine Energy Accelerator, which aims to drive down the costs of marine energy by 20% by 2020, four companies and one university will be focusing their efforts on component technology.
In one of the projects, Aviation Enterprises will be turning its expertise in blade designs to tidal turbines. Meanwhile, Edinburgh University will work on developing next-generation linear generators for wave systems and Mac Taggart Scott will pursue low cost hydraulic generators for wave and tidal applications.
Wave and tidal energy could potentially provide up to 20% of the UK’s current electricity demand but the costs associated with marine energy are higher than other competing technologies.
“This research into component technologies builds on existing UK industrial and academic strengths and we have identified a range of opportunities to cut costs by up to 20% and improve the economic viability of marine energy,” says Mark Williamson of the Carbon Trust.
The Carbon Trust initiative is being funded by the UK Environmental Transformation Fund under the auspices of the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.
“We are world leaders in the innovation of marine energy and the Carbon Trust’s Marine Accelerator, funded through the Government’s Environmental Transformation Fund, will help keep us at the forefront,” commented Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.
A call for further 12-month research proposals is currently open and component technology developers are invited to participate now, says the Carbon Trust.