Irish marine renewables R&D reviewed at MaREI symposium

 
Experts from across Ireland gathered at National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway last week for a symposium on ‘Research, Development and Innovation in Marine and Renewable Energy in Ireland’.

The two-day symposium was hosted by MaREI, Ireland’s Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, bringing together experts to discuss the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the marine and energy spaces.

The event provided an opportunity for researchers to disseminate their research, identify further opportunities for collaboration and discuss the future direction of marine and renewable energy in Ireland.

Jamie Goggins, Chairperson of the MaREI symposium and Senior Lecturer at NUI Galway, said: “The investment in world-class research facilities in Ireland for ocean energy is hugely important to bringing technology to market and helping Ireland to develop an export market for ocean energy technologies.

“The recent State investment in the full scale structural testing facility for tidal turbine blades here at NUI Galway along with the one-quarter scale ocean energy test site and Ocean Observatory in Galway Bay position Ireland at the forefront of testing and development of ocean energy devices.”

Declan Meally, Head of Emerging Sectors in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), added: “The development of ocean energy technologies in Ireland, and in particular the SEAI Ocean Energy Programme, in 2015 has been the most successful year to date with more research and projects funded than any other year previously.

“Events like the MaREI symposium, not only demonstrate the breadth of research expertise in Ireland, but also how State Agencies and Government Departments are all working together with Industry and Academia to build the sector which will benefit all communities in Ireland in the future.”

MaREI is a multi-institutional research centre working with industry to harness the marine resource through the power of innovation to deliver sustainable development.

It is supported by Science Foundation Ireland, coordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork, and has 130 researchers working across 6 academic institutions collaborating with over 45 industry partners.