John Liljelund joins OEE Board

Chief Executive of the Finland-based wave energy company AW-Energy, John Liljelund, has joined the Board of Ocean Energy Europe.

Liljelund was elected to take a seat at the OEE Board during the OEE AGM Strategy days held at OEE headquarters in Brussels.

The appointment will strengthen the wave energy focus at the industry body as the sector moves towards commercial readiness, OEE’s press release reads.

Liljelund said: “I believe that one of the key objectives for the ocean energy sector now is market development. The imperative for progress is the success of as many members of the ocean energy community as possible.”

Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe, added: “The next few years will be a defining period for the ocean energy industry as it deploys pilot commercial projects. Ensuring that the European industry is following the right strategic path will be fundamental to success. I look forward to drawing on John’s extensive experience in renewable energy, and specifically in wave energy, to help steer the ship in the right direction.”

AW-Energy has developed WaveRoller wave energy device that works when the back and forth movement of water driven by wave surge puts the panel into motion, which triggers the hydraulic piston, attached to the panel, to pump the hydraulic fluids inside a closed hydraulic circuit.

The high-pressure fluids are fed into a hydraulic motor that drives an electricity generator, producing electricity, which is then fed to the grid via subsea cable.

The 350 kW commercial scale WaveRoller is planned for deployment in 2016.

Ocean Energy Europe is a Brussels-based industry group representing the renewable ocean energy sector in Europe. The association acts as the main link between Europe’s ocean energy industry and the EU institutions, and EU Member States.