Universities sign up to offshore energy projects
UNIVERSITIES in Wales are working together to develop the offshore renewable energy sector here.
Cardiff University has now formally joined the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE), based in Pembroke Dock, to help develop Welsh marine and offshore renewable energy sectors.
Swansea, Cardiff Metropolitan and Bangor Universities have also joined the centre and will support innovation projects.
The scheme is part-funded by the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF) and Swansea Bay City Deal, MEECE is part of the £60-million-pound Pembroke Dock Marine Project.
It is designed to be a catalyst for research and innovation to speed up commercialisation of the wave, tidal and offshore wind sectors.
Cardiff University said it has significant expertise in marine energy that will be used throughout the project.
As lead institution, Swansea University will coordinate activity between the universities involved and will work with organisations including UK EPSRC, Supergen ORE and Ocean Energy Europe.
Professor Reza Ahmadian, Professor of water and environmental engineering and the Director of International at Cardiff University’s School of Engineering said: “In Wales, we have exceptional resources for marine renewable energy.
“The world’s most significant tidal range scheme proposal is connected to Wales and projects like MEECE provide us with a unique opportunity to support research, innovation and development of marine renewable energy in Wales.”
Dr Stephen Wyatt, Research and Innovation Director for ORE Catapult, said: “Having our university partners onboard will greatly enhance the MEECE offering to the Welsh offshore wind, wave and tidal energy sectors.
“We will be able to draw on their unique and world-leading facilities and expertise to complement our own and drive technology innovation, supporting existing businesses and new companies looking to set up in the region to grasp the huge economic opportunities on offer.”
The universities will support four existing MEECE-led projects as well as supporting Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company (PBFC) in design and testing of a seaweed growing system for offshore environments to help carbon offsetting.
Support will also be provided to Applied Petroleum Technology (APT) to develop a mapping tool to plan and develop of offshore wind farms, and also to Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) to develop a mobile app for the public to register sightings of cetaceans.
The app could be used to help project developers during the consent process of any possible offshore renewable energy projects.