Friday, 06 September 2019 Robin WhitlockThe European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and Enel Green Power SpA (EGP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aiming to encourage knowledge-sharing in marine energy technology development.
The MoU will also help to drive forward collaborations in marine energy demonstration projects. The two parties shared the goals and scope of their cooperation as well as their experience in marine energy during a workshop on Monday 2 September 2019 at the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), in Naples, Italy, of which EGP is a main sponsor.
The partnership will address a gap in independent marine energy testing against international standards, the development of which would increase credibility and trust in the sector. Working in collaboration and sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, EMEC and EGP will provide both public and private investors with increased confidence in the industry and therefore encourage future investment and growth in marine renewable energy.
Based in Orkney, Scotland, EMEC supports the testing, demonstration and assessment of wave and tidal energy technologies by providing test sites suitable for early stage sea deployments through to full-scale grid-connected trials. EMEC supports technology development from concept to commercialisation, including consenting compliance, environmental monitoring, technical verification, and independent performance assessment.
EGP is the global renewable business line of the Enel Group, Europe’s largest utility in terms of market capitalisation and a leading global player in the renewable sector. EGP is at the forefront in promoting innovation in green energy, including exploring applications for wave and marine energy technologies.
“EMEC is very happy to collaborate with EGP on supporting marine energy development,” said Rob Flynn, International Development Manager at EMEC. “As an independent test lab, EMEC is at the cutting edge of assessing marine energy technologies. EGP is a global leader in renewables, and with first-rate technology due diligence processes. This project will help us learn from each other and drive the marine energy sector forward”.
Fabio Fugazzotto, Head of Marine Innovation at Enel Green Power, added that the cooperation between the two organizations will allow EGP to share its expertise and know-how on marine energy with EMEC, leveraging on lessons learned and internationally recognised evaluation standards, with the aim to explore future opportunities in the ocean energy sector.