Isle of Wight looks at opportunity to lead in renewable energy
Marine and Technical Marketing Consultants (MTMC) were recently commissioned by the Isle of Wight Council to conduct a Feasibility Study into the establishment of the Solent Ocean Energy Centre - an evaluation and research centre for marine energy technologies on the Isle of Wight.
The government has set ambitious targets for generation of electricity from renewable sources, in order to fulfill its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. The Centre for evaluation and research into marine renewable energy technologies on the Isle of Wight would underpin the achievement of those targets.
The Centre would also contribute to several targets within the SEEDA Regional Economic Strategy, by promoting the Region's knowledge in marine renewable energy, assisting the development of business consortia for the marine renewables sector and providing infrastructure to maintain international economic competitiveness in the marine industry.
The Centre would provide integrated business support, particularly for micro-businesses, which are the core of its recommended business model. It would build on the local strength of marine-related companies on the Isle of Wight (and surrounding SEEDA region), potentially transforming the current low-wage economy into a technology and knowledge-based economy.
Four candidate sites on the north and east shores of the Isle of Wight have been studied and ranked according to their suitability for a sheltered marine tidal test facility. Further investigations are recommended, prior to final site selection.
Two potential deep offshore sites for testing prototype tidal stream generators with grid connection have been identified. Further investigations and consultations are recommended, to select the most appropriate site and to ensure that the application for consents will run smoothly.
The commercial structure proposed for the Centre is based on a successful model developed by an informal grouping of Isle of Wight companies, to provide an integrated technical and commercial service to clients.
The report demonstrated that there is a wealth of technical expertise residing in companies based on the Isle of Wight and in the surrounding SEEDA region. For each project conducted through the Centre, a group of companies would be selected from this technical resource and subcontracted to deliver the customer's requirements.
The proposed Centre is seen to be complementary to other UK marine energy test centres, such as NaREC, EMEC and Wavehub and there is potential for informal partnering arrangements with these establishments.
An overview of the global marine renewable energy market and of financial, environmental and political drivers in the UK demonstrates the commercial opportunities presented by the sector. The UK has a competitive advantage based on its world-leading position in tidal energy technologies, a plentiful tidal resource and strong existing offshore skills. However, there are three main hurdles to achieving the full potential of marine energy generation, namely financing, grid access and planning / permitting. The proposed offshore test site will alleviate the latter two of these problems.
Economic analysis shows that it is feasible for the Centre to commence operating immediately, using existing laboratory facilities, with an initial investment of £74k for the first year's set-up and overhead costs and a desirable investment of £50k for instrumentation.
If you would like to see the full report on the feasibility study log onto http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/docs/research
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