THE Institution for Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) wants a £40million fund set up to help enable the secure anchoring of marine renewables in Scottish waters.
The engineering body says the marine energy sector is on the “cusp of success” and that failure is not an option. In a short, to-the-point report, it notes that many of the world’s wave and tidal energy prototypes are being deployed in Scottish waters.
However, it warns that “the durability, maintainability and performance of a range of technologies will be tested, and the results will dictate whether the marine energy sector has a commercial future”.
Says IMechE: “Although there are no guarantees, the opportunity is too great to allow it to simply pass by.”
The institution has carried out “extensive” research and consultation with marine energy device developers, investors and governmental organisations and it has identified key challenges around technology, money, skills and grid capacity.
To provide a solution to these challenges, the institution is proposing the new fund to “ensure that a sufficient range of well engineered wave and tidal energy technology can be tested in the ocean environment”.
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