The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), based in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, has just been announced as one of the top 200 influencing world projects by the Institution of Civil Engineering. This recognises the pioneering and world-changing work that is taking place at their wave and tidal energy test sites in the Orkney Islands.
The Institution of Civil Engineering (ICE) is celebrating 200 years anniversary since being established in 1818, and as part of their celebrations is highlighting 200 inspirational and world-changing projects from around the globe. These projects were nominated by ICE members and selected by an expert panel, and the chosen projects illustrate the breadth and depth of civil engineering impact. One of their top 200 projects is The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) based in the Orkney Islands, which is listed alongside iconic achievements such as the Forth and Tay bridges, the Caledonian Canal, and the hydroelectric power:
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney was established in 2003 and is the world’s leading facility supporting the testing, demonstration and verification of wave and tidal energy devices, with 20 developers from 11 different countries having tested their cutting-edge renewable technology at EMEC. EMEC has been part of numerous success stories including the world’s largest floating tidal test turbine, Scotrenewables’ SR1-2000, which has generated up to 7% of Orkney’s electricity needs on occasion. This activity has acted as a catalyst for economic growth in the region, encouraging local talent to take advantage of the jobs being created on their doorstep whilst also attracting people to move to the Orkney from across the world.
Neil Kermode, Managing Director of EMEC said “EMEC are delighted to have been recognised for the pioneering and world-changing work that is taking place on our sites. As well as the fantastic achievements in device development and testing, we are also driving and supporting projects which are daily fostering innovation at our test centre. In the last 12 months alone we became the first to produce hydrogen from tidal energy and recently hosted the deployment of Microsoft’s underwater data centre here in Orkney. All the advances taking place at EMEC bring huge opportunities to the marine industries of the UK. With the continued encouragement, further investment and commitment from the UK Government, we know marine energy will help make the UK a prosperous, decarbonised and green economy.”
As well as being the first site to produce hydrogen from tidal energy, EMEC is also actively involved in several other hydrogen energy and mobility projects as part of the wider hydrogen deployments in the Orkney Islands.