Scottish marine energy leaders to visit New Zealand
AWATEA Media release 1
For
immediate release – Thursday 22 March 2012
Scottish marine energy leaders to visit New Zealand
Scotland is a world leader in marine energy as a result of widespread political support from local councils, regional and national governments, and several of its industry representatives will be in New Zealand next month to share their experiences.
The Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association’s annual conference opens in Wellington next month and Scottish industry representatives will be among at least 11 international visitors registered to attend.
The Executive Director of AWATEA, Dr John Huckerby, says that Scotland has much to pass on that will help New Zealand’s nascent industry.
“The Orkney Islands, for example, to
the north of the Scottish mainland, have some of the
world’s best tidal and wave energy resources, and there
are plans to install over 1000 wave and tidal turbines there
over the next decade. The European Marine Energy Centre on
the Orkney Islands currently has 4 wave machines, 4 tidal
turbines and 2 half-scale turbines in the water.
“Orkney now boasts a burgeoning support industry with
several new purpose-built vessels and the development of
port infrastructure in the world-renowned Scapa Flow and
surrounding region,” he says.
“And at the heart of all this development is the world’s only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy, suitable for testing 19 devices simultaneously in some of the harshest sea conditions, while at the same time exporting power to the Scottish grid.”
“A testing centre is definitely an idea that we should explore further here. We also have some of the world’s best marine energy resources, and we will need this form of renewable energy sooner rather than later.”
The AWATEA conference will also showcase some of the active marine energy projects in New Zealand and Ph.D. research being undertaken here.
ENDS
Conference information attached ....
AWATEA's 6th Annual Conference and
workshops will be held at Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington on
Thursday and Friday 19 and 20 April 2012.
Conference theme:
"Blue Energy:
from International Vision to Reality." This recognises
the release of the IEA’s Ocean Energy Systems Implementing
Agreement’s publication of its “International Vision for
Ocean Energy”.
Day One (to be opened by the
Mayor of Wellington, Hon. Celia Wade-Brown):
Presentations:
Keynote: Mr. Richard Morris,
Commercial Director of the European Marine Energy Centre in
the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Marine energy
testing centres in the UK and in New Zealand
Environmental impacts
Remote sensing
Current NZ projects
Tidal resources and
technologies
Grid connection issues for variable
marine energy generation
Project developments in
Scotland
Guidelines for developing a successful
project.
Day Two (to be opened by Her Excellency
Vicki Treadell, the British High Commissioner):
Workshops:
"Active NZ Projects and
Research”: project presentations from Energy Pacifica,
Tangaroa Energy, Wave Energy Technology - New Zealand,
Chatham Islands Marine Energy and Parnell Community Leisure
and reports from two NZ-based Ph.D. students working on
marine energy issues.
"UK - NZ Marine Energy
Mission", presentations from each of the ten or more UK
visitors, who will be participating in the conference. Each
UK visitor will make a presentation on their particular
interests and expertise in marine energy.
Conference sponsors:
Foundation:
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority,
Meridian Energy Ltd
Supporting: GNS Science,
NIWA, Argo Environmental and others.
More
information:
Further details on the conference
and workshops can be downloaded from the AWATEA website
conference page:
http://www.awatea.org.nz/conference12/conference12.html