Carbon Trust to slash costs of marine energy by 20% 

18 December 2008
£1m Carbon Trust research initiative to reduce costs of marine energy using innovative technologies transferred from traditional industries including aviation, oil and gas.  

Giant turbine blades developed using technology from the aviation industry and underwater hydraulic power networks as used in the oil and gas industry are just two of the technologies that could be harnessed by the marine energy industry to generate cost effective renewable electricity to power homes and businesses across the UK.

The £1m research initiative announced today, which focuses on component technology innovation, is part of a wider set of Carbon Trust activities to drive down costs in the marine energy sector and make marine power a commercial reality by 2020.

Energy from wave and tidal power could provide up to 20% of the UK’s current electricity and has the potential to cut carbon dioxide by tens of millions of tonnes.  Ultimately, the global estimated value of worldwide electricity revenues from wave and tidal stream projects could be between £60-£190 billion a year1.  However, the cost of generating marine energy is currently high compared to other forms of more conventional generation and key components used in wave and tidal energy devices can make up as much as a third of the total device cost.

The Carbon Trust’s Marine Energy Accelerator aims to accelerate progress in cost reduction for wave and tidal stream energy technologies. This latest phase of activity focuses on the development of component technologies which could reduce costs across the whole industry.  The Carbon Trust is partnering with leading academic and industrial groups that bring expertise from outside of the marine energy field. The overall objective is to reduce the cost of marine energy by up to 20% by 2020.

Mark Williamson, Director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust, said:
“In the face of the economic downturn, these companies are at the forefront of an energy revolution that will see the creation of thousands of green collar jobs and a boost to the UK’s economy.  Our targeted funding will accelerate the marine energy sector’s development and so speed its carbon saving potential which is vital to us in staying within the UK’s carbon budgets. 

“The UK is already leading the world in the development of marine energy and this emerging sector could provide significant economic opportunities for the UK as well as generating up to 20% of our electricity needs.  This research into component technologies builds on existing UK industrial and academic strengths and we have identified a range of opportunities to cut costs by up to 20% and improve the economic viability of marine energy.”

Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath said:

“We are world leaders in the innovation of marine energy and the Carbon Trust’s Marine Accelerator, funded through the Government’s Environmental Transformation Fund, will help keep us at the forefront. These innovative technologies, when proven to be commercially viable, could play a significant role in meeting our renewable and climate change targets.”

“The potential of using the power of the waves and tides around Britain is immense which is why Government is doubling the financial support to the marine sector so working prototypes are tested in UK waters.”

The Carbon Trust’s Marine Energy Accelerator is funded by the UK Environmental Transformation Fund (managed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.

The five innovative companies researching breakthrough component technologies are:

  • Tension Technology International Ltd: Research and testing of low cost, longer life mooring systems, flexible bag anchors and bio-fouling prevention systems on new substrates for wave and tidal applications.
  • Aviation Enterprises: Optimisation of tidal turbine blade designs and fatigue testing of metal-composite joint systems.
  • Mac Taggart Scott: Development of reliable, low cost variable displacement, hydraulic generators for wave and tidal applications.
  • Edinburgh University: Next generation linear generators for wave devices.
  • JP Kenny: Investigation into the engineering feasibility of using hydraulic arrays for power transmission from wave and tidal farms to the shore.

Alan Bevan, Business Development Manager at MacTaggart Scott, said:
“MacTaggart Scott’s extensive experience in the marine environment, particularly in subsea heavy engineering, provides a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to the marine renewable market. MacTaggart Scott is pleased to be afforded the opportunity to work with the Carbon Trust to develop and provide technology that will make marine energy extraction more efficient and cost effective.”

Dr Isabel Ridge, Tension Technology International Ltd , said:
“TTI is pleased to be working with the Carbon Trust and together with other industrial partners supporting the UK economy. The project currently underway will lead to lighter and more efficient mooring systems specifically (but not exclusively) for tidal and wave energy devices. These improvements will both push down the cost of marine energy and directly reduce CO2 emissions by allowing the use of smaller vessels for mooring installation.”

Steve Wayman, CEO, J P Kenny Group, John Wood Group PLC, commented:
“J P Kenny intends to play a key role in developing the UK & Europe’s economically viable Marine Renewable resources, and in particular we are committed to transferring the Subsea Engineering & Management skills we have gained in the O&G sector, across to the Renewables sector. Working with the Carbon Trust on this project has given us a further opportunity to utilise and enhance those skills, for the future benefit of the UK Marine Energy industry.”

Markus Mueller, Senior Lecturer, Edinburgh University, said:
“Carbon Trust funding as part of the Marine Accelerator Programme will enable the Machines Group in the Institute for Energy Systems in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh to advance its new lightweight generator technology at a reasonable scale with the aim of securing commercial interest from wave energy technology developers.”

Angus Fleming, Managing Director of Aviation Enterprises Limited, commented:
"This support will enable us to gather test data which will advance our design and development of composite tidal turbine blades and any undersea composite structures and put it on a firm technical foundation as well as enabling costs to be minimised by efficient design".

A second call for 12 month research proposals in this area is now open and the Carbon Trust invites component technology developers to find out more at: www.carbontrust.co.uk/mea

- Ends –

 
 

Footnotes

For further information or interviews with the Carbon Trust or any of the companies involved in the Marine Energy Accelerator, please contact the Carbon Trust Press Office on 020 7544 3100 or carbontrust@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

The Carbon Trust Marine Energy Accelerator

  • This aims to accelerate progress in cost reduction of marine energy (wave and tidal stream energy) technologies, to bring forward the time when marine energy becomes cost-competitive so that significant carbon emissions reductions are achieved.
  • The project will help industry accelerate cost reduction by supporting:
    A. Development of new marine energy device concepts with potential for significantly lower costs than front-runner technologies;
    B. Research and development into specific component technologies of marine energy devices that are common causes of high costs; and
    C. Development of low cost installation, operation and maintenance strategies for marine energy devices.
  • The project will involve device developers, component technology manufacturers, engineering consultants/contractors and academic research groups. Overall, up to £3.5m of support is available for the project.

The Carbon Trust

  • The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector through its work in five complementary areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop, create and finance low carbon enterprise. 
  • The Carbon Trust is funded by Government. 
  • For more information on the Carbon Trust visit http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/ or call the Carbon Trust Advice Line on 0800 085 2005.

MacTaggart Scott

  • MacTaggart Scott is a privately owned Scottish engineering company. For more than 100 years the Company has been providing innovative, cost-effective solutions to challenging marine engineering problems. With offices in the UK, USA and representatives around the globe, MacTaggart Scott has a reputation for quality, reliability and customer support. Based just south of Edinburgh in Midlothian, MacTaggart Scott employs 250 people to provide a range of engineering services. Fundamental analysis of customer requirements, design, development, manufacture, testing and in-service support are provided from a fully integrated, collocated organisation. For more information visit http://www.mactag.com/, email busdev@mactag.com, or call MacTaggart Scott Business Development on 0131 440 0311.

Tension Technology International Limited

  • Tension Technology International Ltd (TTI) is an independent design and engineering company. Formed in 1986 TTI now has consultants in the UK, Holland and USA. TTI specialises in the design, engineering, testing and analysis of tension members such as: fibres, wire and fibre ropes, cables, umbilicals, chains, fabrics, mooring systems, riser protection nets and subsea tethers. Collectively TTI consultants have authored hundreds of technical papers and research reports in their fields of expertise.
  • TTI’s strength in the offshore industry is reflected in its leading and participation of many JIPs. Additionally, TTI members developed OPTIMOOR, a computer model for calculating response of offshore and pierside vessels, mooring line forces and for fibre ropes which has over 200 users worldwide. Another tool developed by TTI, Fibre Rope Modeller calculates load/extension, torque/twist, breaking load and fatigue of fibre ropes. TTI has designed several offshore synthetic systems for 30 year design life, the longest currently at 14 successful years service with no maintenance.

Edinburgh University

  • Ranked among the top universities in the world, the University of Edinburgh currently has more than 25,000 students and more than 7,500 staff.
  • Founded by Royal Charter in 1583, the University's famous former students include Charles Darwin, David Hume, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Gordon Brown and Chris Hoy.
  • More information on the University can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/"

Aviation Enterprises Limited (AEL)

  • Founded in 1976 by Angus Fleming and developed to design and manufacture light aircraft, AEL’s experience and reputation grew with the successful completion of a number of carbon fibre based products has led to a demand for our services, and application of our aviation background particularly in the renewable energy sector, starting with tidal turbine blades and now including vertical axis wind turbine design and development.
  • Our involvement in the renewable energy sector has revealed the greater emphasis needed on the fatigue performance of carbon based composites and as a company with a substantial stake in this industry we are very keen to establish a global technical lead with the engineering of these materials and have been aided in this endeavour by a Carbon Trust Grant for a programme of R&D entitled  “Characterisation of fatigue performance of marine turbine blade materials and details in the marine environment”.

JP Kenny

  • J P Kenny, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wood Group and one of the world's leading independent subsea and pipeline organisations, operates from eleven locations worldwide and provides its clients with engineering & management solutions that range from the concept/planning stage through to procurement & fabrication support, construction management, commissioning and operations support services. J P Kenny operates from offices in Australia, India, Indonesia, Norway, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, USA, Russia and United Arab Emirates. 
  • Wood Group is a UK FTSE Listed international energy services company with $5bn sales, employing more than 27,000 people worldwide and operating in 46 countries. The Group has three businesses - Engineering & Production Facilities, Well Support, and Gas Turbine Services-providing a range of engineering, production support, maintenance management, and industrial gas turbine overhaul and repair services to the oil & gas, and power generation industries worldwide.

    1 Carbon Trust “Future Marine Energy”
 
Send to a colleague
 

More Info

 
close

Please login below
  1.  
  2.  
Forgotten password