Results of academic research into vital areas of Scotland’s emerging wave and tidal energy industry will be presented at an event in Inverness next week.
A presentation on issues ranging from the effects of molluscs on underwater equipment to the use of radar to measure waves will launch the one-day Scottish Renewables Marine Conference in the city.
The breakfast briefing will highlight some of the work of the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Marine Energy Research Innovation and Knowledge Accelerator (MERIKA) programme.
Launched in 2014 with £3.3 million EU funding, the three year project is aimed at establishing UHI as a world-renowned European marine energy and innovation hub.
Working in collaboration with leading research institutions, the programme is being developed by academics from Lews Castle College, Stornoway, the Environmental Research Institute, Thurso and the Oban-based Scottish Association for Marine Science.
Among areas they are studying are the effects of biofouling by molluscs, seaweed and other sea life on energy generation equipment and the use of advanced radar to measure wave height over large areas.
Research into planning for marine energy developments is also carried out under the programme, with the aim of ensuring the environment, communities and other users of the sea can work in harmony.
Hannah Smith, policy officer at Scottish Renewables, said such research was vital to help developers understand where to site devices and how the marine environment will interact with them.
She added: “Marine energy is a young sector which presents huge engineering challenges. Scottish industry and academia are continually learning, innovating and deploying the brightest minds to realise the huge opportunity the sector presents.
“Wave and tidal energy are industries in which the boundaries are constantly being pushed and academic study has a crucial role to play in that.”
The three UHI institutions involved in MERIKA, will be represented at the event by research associates Dr Jen Loxton and Dr Charles Greenwood and research fellow Lucy Greenwood.
Prof Ben Wilson, chair of energy at UHI, said: “MERIKA has allowed us to explore some of the key questions supporting the deployment of Marine Energy technologies, and this breakfast event allows us to share some of the work we are undertaking.”
The conference and exhibition takes place at Eden Court Theatre on Wednesday, September 13. Its programme includes sessions on progressing wave energy to commercialisation, constructing the first tidal arrays and optimising tidal technology.
The event will close with an industry leaders’ debate, looking at the challenges facing the marine sector in the coming year.
