Carbon Trust funds tidal and wave power projects in the UK

Earlier this week, the Carbon Trust has launched the £22M marine proving fund – a scheme which will see between £2m and £5m awarded to four tidal and two wave power projects in the UK. The money will help bring the projects through from the prototype stage to commercial propositions.

AECOM has backed plans by the Carbon Trust to fund the development of marine and tidal energy in the UK. AECOM’s Director of Renewable Energy, Ian Gillies said: “This is a great boost to the wave and tidal industry. The waters around the British Isles have long been recognised as an incredible renewable energy powerhouse with huge amounts of energy available from the tides, marine currents and offshore wind.

“These technologies have the potential to generate significant quantities of our annual electricity needs using clean natural sources of energy, and at the same time, help us meet our greenhouse gas commitments. The Carbon Trust’s £22M investment will help keep the United Kingdom at the leading edge of these developments with the potential to bring forward new jobs and further investment in this sector.”

Last year AECOM won a contract to produce a Marine Spatial Plan for the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters in the north of Scotland. One of the key objectives of the plan was to map areas of opportunity for the development of tidal and wave power.

Ian added: “This work will help identify those areas around our coasts which are most suited to developing the range of marine technologies. Marine Current Turbines (MCT) recently installed a 1.2MW tidal turbine in the Narrows at Strangford Lough and this has demonstrated the tremendous potential that these technologies can offer in the years ahead.

“A number of other developers are also reviewing opportunities at various locations around the coast and hopefully the marine proving fund will significantly move some of these projects towards reality.”

AECOM is also working in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to complete Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) for the two governments.

Related categories:  Wave and tidal power 

Print version | Email this article | View other articles