ORE Catapult, EMEC join forces for marine technology development

Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and EMEC have launched Technology Assessment Process (TAP) to de-risk marine energy technology development.

TAP has been designed to support wave and tidal energy technology developers, enabling them to benchmark their technologies and follow a more structured technology development journey which will result in a less expensive, faster and more certain development pathway, according to EMEC.

ORE Catapult and EMEC will guide technology developers through a more structured approach to developing their technologies, from concept development, through to laboratory and analytical testing, prototype proving at a scale test site, single device deployment and preparations for first arrays.

Simon Cheeseman, ORE Catapult’s Wave and Tidal Sector Specialist, said: “A successful wave and tidal sector in the UK – contributing thousands of jobs and millions of pounds to the UK economy – will be underpinned by a well-conceived and managed approach to technology development that allows the industry to move down the cost curve, ultimately reducing the levelised cost of marine energy to levels comparable with other sources of electricity.”

The TAP methodology is designed to assess the development position of technologies and identify key areas of uncertainty.

The tool is then used to track progress, and build evidence of performance through a ‘Technology Passport’ as technological ideas are validated, with greater emphasis on testing and de-risking activities, as technologies move from one stage of development to the next.

TAP will allow developers to improve understanding and validate the competitive prospects for their innovations, EMEC states. Capital investment can be matched to strong, feasible technical ideas and developers will also be able to offer grant awarding bodies visibility of TAP assessment reports to assist in evaluating competing ideas seeking funding.

Investors and sponsors will benefit from early and ongoing independent review, giving a greater level of confidence in the technology being developed, leading to better informed investment decisions, improved confidence and reduced risk, EMEC’s press release reads.