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Major developments for Wave and Tidal industries

September 18, 2013 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Ocean / Tidal Energy

Artist Impression of Site Image courtesy of MeyGen Ltd.

Artist Impression of Site
Image courtesy of MeyGen Ltd.

RenewableUK today (9-16-13) welcomed news that MeyGen Ltd. has been awarded consent by the Scottish Government for an 86 Megawatt tidal energy project, following the completion of the statutory approval process with the regulator Marine Scotland.

Located in the Pentland Firth, off the north coast of Scotland, this project has the potential to generate up to 398 Megawatts of clean electricity and power thousands of homes. It is also set to be the biggest tidal stream site in Europe and maintain the UK’s place as the world leader in tidal technology. The first phase of the project will see 6 tidal turbines commissioned in the inner sound of the Pentland Firth, enabling this exciting technology to mature, before the subsequent phases take the project up to the consented limit of 86MW and beyond to the leased capacity of 398 Megawatt. A recent study by Oxford University noted that the Pentland Firth could generate 1.9 Gigawatts of clean electricity.

Pelamis Wave Device Photo courtesy of RenewableUK

Pelamis Wave Device
Photo courtesy of RenewableUK

Also today the Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing MSP announced that Wave developers Aquamarine Power Limited and Pelamis Wave Power are to share a slice of a GBP13 million wave “first array” support programme, part of the Scottish Government’s Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund.

David Krohn, Wave and Tidal Manager at RenewableUK said: “Today’s two announcements show that both wave and tidal technologies are developing at a rapid rate are set to make a real contribution to the electricity needs both of Scotland and the UK.

“MeyGen’s consent approval is a truly monumental milestone for the industry as it is far and away the largest marine energy consent ever achieved. The inner sound of the Pentland Firth is one of the most promising sites in the world to develop tidal energy projects and it is heartening to see the project progressing towards installation.

“The award of £13million to the world’s two leading wave energy companies, Aquamarine and Pelamis, is welcome boost to the industry in Scotland. The Scottish Government has once again demonstrated its desire to turn Scotland into the world’s leading renewable energy economy. It is no surprise that the Scottish Government is such a staunch supporter of the wave energy industry, given the high level of local content in these two pioneering companies’ activities and the immense potential they have for creating jobs and boosting manufacturing opportunities.”

  • More information on MeyGen’s Pentland Firth project can be found here: http://www.meygen.com/
  • See more information about Aquamarine Power limited here: http://www.aquamarinepower.com/
  • See more on Pelamis Wave Power here: http://www.pelamiswave.com/
  • See here for more information about the Oxford University study: http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2013/130710.html

This article is a repost, credit: RenewableUK.

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Major boost for green homes, Source: Scottish Government

August 18, 2013 in Environment, EV News, Greentech

Hundreds of households set to benefit (8-2-13)

Image courtesy of Scottish  Government

Image courtesy of Scottish Government

A £3 million funding boost will see hundreds of Scottish households getting paid to become more energy efficient, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing announced today. Interest free loans will be available for home owners to adopt a range of renewable heat and electricity technologies, such as heat pumps, solar panels, micro-wind turbines or biomass boilers. Householders will be able to borrow up to £10,000 depending on the technology and cost of their system.

Households installing renewable electricity technologies will be eligible for payments for feeding electricity into the national grid and households installing renewable heat technologies can also benefit from Renewable Heat Premium Payment vouchers for domestic renewables. The funding will be directly targeted at homes in fuel poverty, helping to boost household income. The installation of the technologies will help to develop Scotland’s micro-generation market and will contribute to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Mr Ewing said:

We are determined to help householders keep their energy bills down wherever we can. With the UK Government delaying its domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme until at least spring 2014, our funding boost will make sure households, especially those in fuel poverty, are able to increase their income through renewable technologies. The investment will ensure hundreds of Scottish households get their own sustainable green energy supply and in doing so they will receive payments for supplying electricity to the national grid or by cashing in a Renewable Heat Premium Payment voucher. As well as being a huge help in fighting fuel poverty, this investment will help Scotland become greener. The wide take up of small scale technologies will be vital for helping us to become a truly low carbon economy. Low cost, low carbon heating technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps will cut emissions and support jobs in the manufacturing and installation industry. This investment will also help to boost our micro-generation market, which will also help to create jobs in this fast growing industry and meet our commitment to deliver renewable energy and energy-efficient homes in those communities worst affected by fuel poverty. Independence is the only way to guarantee more concerted action, focussed on Scotland’s specific advantages – like our vast energy resources – to raise more people out fuel poverty and to ensure Scotland becomes a greener and more sustainable place to live.

Mike Thornton, Director of Energy Saving Trust in Scotland, said:

This is good news; this additional funding will help many more households benefit from renewables technology. It is a very positive step in the journey to increase the use of renewables in the home and to help people cut their fuel bills. Interested homeowners should contact Home Energy Scotland free on 0808 808 2282 for impartial advice about renewable technology and to find out more about this funding. They will also have the chance to visit a local homeowner who has already installed renewables technology to see what life is like living with a renewables system.

Find out more about the Green Homes Network by emailing [email protected]

This article is a repost, credit: Scottish Government, http://home.scotland.gov.uk/home.