Marine Energy in Far
Peripheral & Island
Communities (MERiFIC)
Professor George Smith
University of Exeter
13 September 2011
National (UK Perspective)
• Research Councils
o
Supergen-Marine; The principle driver for research now
entering its third phase with a combination of core research and
extensive academic and commercial networking. (some £10
million over 10 years).
Marine energy Challenge: £3 million pound call for
research relevant to wave and tidal developments
o NERC Marine Renewable projects: 3 (4?) projects
funded to undertake environmental research
(involving both Exeter and Plymouth with research
around Wave Hub) – approx £3 million
o
Considerable funding for fundamental
and
more applied research in last 10 years
•
Industrial and commercial
development
Technology Strategy
Board
 A raft of funded projects including;
 Bolt-To Wave Hub with Fred Olsen (with University of Exeter/ PRIMaRE)
 OPT development of PB500 Buoy (with University of Exeter/PRIMARE)
 Seabed drilling equipment for Voith Hy Tide 1MW with University of Exeter
(PRIMaRE)
 OWEL: to develop a marine demonstration device for ocean deployment at the
Wave Hub facility in the south west of England (With Plymouth University/
PRIMaRE)
• Energy Technology Institute (ETI): To date has
supported 3 marine energy projects at a total public cost
of £10.75 million.
o
Funded PERAWAT; Performance Assessment of Wave and Tidal Array Systems
(PerAWAT): will produce tools capable of accurately estimating the energy yield of major
wave and tidal stream energy converters.
• Scottish “WATERS” fund: £14 million of public funding
• Marine Renewables Proving Fund (MRPF): £22 million
• Development of a new Technology Innovation Centre
(TIC)
• Proposal for a marine energy “park” – strong interest
and advocacy from the South West region
Major UK Test Sites
• European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)
o
Currently undertaking a range of wave and tidal demonstration
projects
• National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec)
o
the national centre to advance the development, demonstration,
deployment and grid integration of renewable Developing an
offshore wind energy test site. Nautilus facility for testing of wind
turbine drive trains
• Wave Hub
o
has now successfully installed the connecting cable and in
discussions with companies to deploy (Fred Olsen (Bolt to Wave
Hub) project with the TSB and also project with Ocean Power
Technologies)
How do these different facilities work together at a national
and international level to improve the prospects for marine
energy development?
How do we integrate output from
different Test Centres (and does this
reflect problems in France?)
Scottish leases
Problems with linkage to electrical grid
In the Pentland Firth Orkney Waters Round
One, The Crown Estate granted options for
leases for up to 1.6GW of marine capacity
Projected further leases in West Coast
Scotland
Renewables UK: Wave and Tidal Energy Review – state of the industry
SW Potential Capacity - Wind
1500 MW
(250km2)
500 MW
(90km2)
1000 MW
(170km2)
Provided by Marine Energy
1000 MW
(170km2)
SW Potential Capacity - Wave
100 MW
(10km2 )
540 MW
(50km2)
400 MW (40
km2 )
200 MW
(20km2)
Provided by Marine Energy Matters
SW Potential Capacity - Tidal
600 MW
(10km2 )
210 MW
(5km2 )
Better grid capacity + Wave Hub Cable,
but longer term and what about Isles of
Scilly?
150 MW
(5km2)
Provided by Marine Energy Matters
120 MW
(5km2)
Education and skills
• Industrial Doctoral Training Centre in Offshore Energy
(EPSRC and ETI) – Exeter University with Edinburgh and
Strathclyde
• MSC in Marine Renewable Energy – Plymouth University
• AquaRet II: Aqua-RET 2 to facilitate the transfer of people
who are working in ancillary sectors (e.g. the maritime
industry, offshore oil and gas) to the emerging marine
renewables sector
• The 1st BSc/ MEng in Renewble Energy in the UK –
University of Exeter
Cornwall Marine Network will be a key contributor to
MERIFIC!
Links to equivalent French initiatives ?
European Perspective
• Research project
o EQUIMaR: Devlopement of MRE protocols – (keen to
see this work developed and applied within MERIFIC)
 http://www.equimar.org/
 Buy copy at Lulu - http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/protocolsfor-the-equitable-assessment-of-marine-energy-converters/15675151
o
SOWFIA : Aims to collect available data on
environmental, social, and economic impact
assessments for wave energy converters
(lots of things align with MERIFIC and should be great potential for
added value).
o
MARINET (Exeter and Plymouth involved)
 Multinational access to facilities across Europe
o
ORECCA: The objectives are to create a framework
for knowledge sharing and to develop a research
roadmap for activities in the context of offshore
renewable energy (RE).
PRIMaRE
Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy
• Exeter and four years to build up intellectual
and infra-structure capacity in the field of
marine renewable energy for the SW. This
has resulted in:
Significant research publications in the area
Internationally significant research facilities
National and international research networks
for information exchange
o Co-operation with local and international
companies
o
o
o
All of these I consider will be brought to bear to
ensure the success of MERIFIC
SW Academic contribution
• R&D from 4 years of work in PRIMARE
• Energy Policy
• Wave resource assessment and methodologies (bouys/
ADCP’s/ Radar)
• Numerical modelling
o Fluid structure interaction
o Wave modelling (SWAN and MIKE 21)
• Reliability (testing and methodology development)
• Electrical engineering and grid integration
• Operations and maintenance and safely management
• Environmental and ecological methodologies and base
line
• Links to UK projects and other EUROPEAN projects
Resource Assessment
• Expertise in:
o
Wave and tidal measurement and assessment
Wave
Wave and current
Current
buoys
radar
measurement
Contribution to the development of resource assessment
toolbox
Links with international developments in protocols and
Recent wave a
measurement
Yesterday in Cornwall!
Device Understanding and Technology
Development
Moorings and device response in real
seas
Dynamic component test
facility
Numerical modelling
Expertise in tank testing and
facilities
Electrical Operations
• Dr Mohammad Abusara
o
o
o
o
Machine electrical systems interaction
Power quality
Fault prediction and ride through
Grid interaction
G
en
33k
V
Circ
uit
Bre
aker
s
G
en
G
en
G
en
Surveying and shipping
behaviour
Shipping movement and collision
risk
State-of-the art Sonar systems and
software
Environmental Issues
Water column
Monthly plankton &
Thermal upcasts
Noise
Broadband acoustics
(2Hz-384kHz, 1TB, 2
stations)
Mobile
species
Seasonal baited video
camera work (UoE
&UoP)
Fisheries
Vessel monitoring
system, species
assessment
Seabirds
Monthly seabird surveys
Marine
mammals
Acoustic detection array
operating 24/7 (+20
units)
Integrated & holistic
programme ….developing
transferable methodologies for
future developments
Contribution to measurement protocols/ assessment
based on extensive field based experience
What is FaBTest
• An ancillary commissioning site, to undertake tests on
devices at TRL 7-8 in a less harsh environment close to
support facilities and research capabilities.
• The aim of FaB Test is to aid the development of
Marine Renewable Devices towards full scale
commercial deployment.
Device developers would provide since the attention would
be to provide environmental baseline and resource
assessment and consent for deployment.
Marine Renewable Energy:
Policy Goals
• Deploying new RE Technologies allows
benefits for the environment, security of
energy supply and business and
employment opportunities.
• Effective policy can allow greater capture
of business and employment
opportunities.
Complexity of Policy Framework
Merific and Policy
• What is the most effective application of
policy to maximise capture of benefits?
• What is current best policy practice?
• What are the needs of industry in marine
RE?
• How can Brittany and the SW UK best
cooperate in exploiting opportunity?
In Conclusion
My personal view on the project
• A fantastic opportunity for Cornwall and Brittany to
showcase their potential for low carbon electrical
generation, industrial development in the marine renewable
potential
• Growing industrial involvement and signs of interest form
the “big” players
• Complex funding/ technology readiness/ approvals and
leases and approvals
• Seeming commitment form UK and EU politicians and
developers of policy, but this must bee seen against the
competition from other renewable and carbon reduction
technologies.
Policy Considerations within Merific
•
•
•
•
•
•
Consenting and Licensing
Marine Spatial Planning
Market Support instruments
Cornwall Marine Network will
Health and Safety
be aRegulation
key contributor to
Supply Chain Development
MERIFIC!
Links
to equivalentskill
French
Identifying and
Remedying
shortages
initiatives
For MERIFIC
• Project partners must integrate our respective skills to
achieve the project goals BUT should make use of our
involvement in previous projects and apply this knowledge
to the specific context of MERIFIC.
• Involving industrial companies and the supply chain is key
to regional development. Skills analysis and development
requirements for the SW
• Understanding the social context will improve public
acceptability and potentially ease the deployment of larger
farms
• Can we learn from each other to help to understand
specific issues of policy development? Can we use
MERIFIC as a tool to further highlight the regional
potential to central government?
For MERIFIC
• Development of the project to apply to the European
context is also potentially very important.
• Many of the funded projects a re aimed at small to
medium scale deployment. MERIFIC is I feel more an
”enabling project” addressing the barriers and reducing
risks for the final farm scale deployment. As wave Hub
and the French test centres become more active this
“underpining” work will be essential to show a eased
path to deployment and attract devices to the regions.
ITS ALLL ABOUT
SHARING KNOWLEDGE a
expertise and enthusiasm!