Scotland's First Minister launches Oyster 1
20 Nov 09
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP today officially
launched our first Oyster wave energy converter at the European
Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. Oyster is currently the
world's only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing
power.
Scotland's First Minister was on site at EMEC's Billia Croo site
near Stromness to switch on Oyster for the first time.
Powering the grid
Oyster is now producing power by pumping high pressure water to
its onshore hydro-electric turbine. This will be fed into the
National Grid to power homes in Orkney and beyond.
We will now monitor Oyster's performance and the results from
the testing will provide a basis for the design of our
next-generation Oyster wave power device.
Speaking at the launch of Oyster, Scotland's First Minister Alex
Salmond MP, MSP said:
"I'm delighted to see first-hand the full-scale Oyster now
installed and operating offshore. This is a key milestone for
Aquamarine Power and for Scotland's marine renewables sector.
"Scotland's potential renewables capacity is estimated to be
around 60GW. Our waters hold around ten per cent of Europe's wave
power potential and as much as a quarter of its tidal power
potential. The European Marine Energy Centre provides
world-leading test facilities for Aquamarine Power and other
companies to develop the technology needed to harness this huge
untapped potential.
Further R&D funding
"I am delighted to confirm further R&D funding of almost £1m
to Aquamarine Power for the development of Oyster 2, which could be
installed within two years. Through our investments and
initiatives such as the Saltire Prize, the Scottish Government is
working to ensure we capitalise on our rich natural resources, to
meet our ambitious climate change targets, to create more
high-skilled green jobs and to make a substantial contribution to
one of the most pressing global challenges."
Martin McAdam, our CEO said:
"This is a fantastic day for the wave energy industry and for
Aquamarine Power. We have proved what we always believed -
that wave energy can produce sustainable zero-emission electricity
to power our homes. The UK has one of the best wave resources
in the world. Now it also has the best technology.
Attracting inward investment
"The announcement of nearly £1m Scottish Enterprise funding is
very welcome and will enable Aquamarine Power to attract further
inward investment for the successful development of the
next-generation commercial-scale Oyster. This is exactly the
kind of support the industry needs. With continued support of
this nature we can help decarbonise our electricity supply, and
build a major, world-beating industry here in the UK."
Neil Kermode, Managing Director of EMEC said:
"EMEC is delighted to see Oyster installed, running and on test.
It is a tribute to both the Aquamarine Power team for their work,
and also to the vision of the public sector in setting EMEC up in
the first place to help developers get into the water as
efficiently as possible. I look forward to Oyster being joined by
many more machines in the coming years."