Innovation
FORWARD2030
The FORWARD2030 (Fast-tracking Offshore Renewable energy With Advanced Research to Deploy 2030MW of tidal energy before 2030) project consortium will receive €20.5m of grant support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme to develop a multi-vector energy system for the future. This system will combine predictable floating tidal energy, wind generation, grid export, battery storage and green hydrogen production.
The project will see the installation of the next iteration of the O2 turbine, integrated with a hydrogen production facility and battery storage at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. Project partners will design options for integrating large scale tidal power into future net zero energy systems, whilst developing environmental monitoring and marine spatial planning tools for large floating tidal arrays.
TIGER (Tidal Stream Industry Energiser Project) Interreg France (Channel) England Programme
The Tidal Stream Industry Energiser Project, known as TIGER, is the biggest ever Interreg project that will prove game-changing for the European tidal stream energy sector.
The TIGER project will demonstrate that tidal stream energy is a maturing industry, capable of achieving an accelerated cost reduction pathway.
The TIGER project will drive the growth of tidal stream energy in France and the UK (Channel Manche region) with significant economic benefits for coastal communities.
The project will build cross-border partnerships to develop new technologies, test and demonstrate up to 8 MW of new tidal capacity at a number of locations around the Channel region, and use the learning from this development to make a stronger, cost-effective case for tidal energy as part of the France/UK energy mix.
Timescale: 2019 – 2023 (47 months)
Funder: Interreg France (Channel) England Programme
Funding: ERDF funding € 29 million / Total project budget € 45.4 million
MAXBlade
The €10 million MAXBlade project – funded by the European Union and UK Research and Innovation – aims to deliver a range of innovations to improve the performance of tidal turbines and reduce costs.
It will investigate the full lifecycle of tidal turbine blades, from materials, manufacture and operation, to decommissioning and recyclability. The project’s long-term aim is to ensure the European composite sector becomes the international leader in tidal blade manufacture.
MAXBlade is led by TechnipFMC and includes Orbital Marine Power, Marasoft, TECNALIA, University of Edinburgh, EMEC, Laborelec and European Composites Industry Association. It is supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service.
MAXBlade receives funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.
Project duration: January 1, 2023 – 20 June, 2028 (66 months).
