Solent Tidal Energy Opportunities
Marine South East in partnership with Envirobusiness is involved in a Solent based collaborative initiative called the Solent Ocean Energy Centre which is looking to advance the UK marine renewables sector by accelerating the technological advancement and commercial development of Marine Current Energy Converters (MCECs).
The Solent Ocean Energy Centre is a marine energy park for developers of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation MCECs in and around the Isle of Wight and Solent region.
The Solent region is an ideal location for a marine energy park due to its strong tidal flows, physically protected waters and easy access.
The SOEC development provisionally includes:a nursery site for pre-prototype sea trials, a pre-commercial site for full-scale demonstrations, and a commercial site for array deployment. The sites will be supported by a shore-side facility for data, monitoring and control. SOEC will attract an onshore cluster of associated hard and soft assets including an offshore renewables supply chain and a maritime and offshore skills base.
Designed for phased implementation, it is estimated that the SOEC will be fully operational by the end of 2013, subject to securing finance.
SOEC is supported by project partners and a steering group consisting of QinentiQ, Gifford, BAE Systems, Ricardo, Halcrow, The University of Southampton, Marine South East and the Renewable Energy Association. The Isle of Wight Council are the government lead and Envirobusiness are the project managers.
Marine South East will keep interested parties updated on project progress via this email newsletter.
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