MaREI, MARINET bag multi-million R&D grants

Ireland’s Department of Jobs, through Science Foundation Ireland, has awarded multi-million funding for marine renewable energy research projects to MaREI, MARINET, and their university research partners.

A total of 21 research projects will be supported through €28 million investment in research equipment and facilities initiative from various sectors.

Out of that, €1,955,742 was granted to MaREI and the University of Limerick to develop marine renewable energy remote operation vehicle (MRE-ROV) for challenging wave, tidal, and wind conditions.

The MRE-ROV, an all electric vehicle with advanced dynamic positioning and control capabilities, is a key piece of support infrastructure for the development and testing of wave and tidal energy converters and for research and development of technologies for inspection, repair and maintenance of MRE infrastructure in the challenging high energy offshore prevailing conditions at MRE farms.

MARINET and University College Cork will receive financial support in the amount of €2,230,860 to develop Open Ocean Emulator (OOE) for grid integrated next generation marine renewable energy systems.

OEE is expected to replicate real ocean wave conditions in a laboratory setting, and in combination with the use of advanced instrumentation, to improve the understanding the behavior on of marine structures, such as wave energy convertors, floating wind turbines and tidal energy devices.

Mark Ferguson, General Director at Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Ireland is increasingly becoming the location of choice for multinational companies to develop and test tomorrow’s technologies and this investment demonstrates our commitment and expanded ability to engage, discover and collaborate at all levels.”

MARINET (Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network) is an EC-funded infrastructure initiative comprising a network of research centres and organisations that are working together to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of these technologies.

The SFI MaREI Centre is a cluster of key university and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technological and socio-economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.

MaREI is a marine and energy-based research, development and innovation hub based in Ireland which aims to solve the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.