Supergen Marine Consortium

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Ocean Energy)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Applied Mathematics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor R Wallace
Energy Systems
University of Edinburgh

Standard

EPSRC

01 October 2003

30 September 2007

48 months

£2,609,267

Energy

Scotland

Infrastructure and Environment -- Process Environment and Sustainability

Professor R Wallace, Energy Systems, University of Edinburgh

Dr GA Aggidis, Engineering, Lancaster University
Professor I Bryden, Energy Systems, University of Edinburgh
Mr C Bullen, Sch of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University
Mr C Johnstone, Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde
Mr B Linfoot, Sch of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University
Professor P McGregor, Economics, University of Strathclyde
Professor D Mollison, Sch of Mathematical and Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University
Professor A Murray, Integrated Micro and Nano Systems, University of Edinburgh
Dr C Pritchard, Energy Systems, University of Edinburgh
Professor B Rothschild, Economics, Lancaster University
Professor S Salter, Energy Systems, University of Edinburgh
Dr GH Smith, Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter
Professor J Wolfram, Sch of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University
Dr S Zachary, Sch of Mathematical and Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University

Mr JRM Taylor, University of Edinburgh

Project Contact, Artemis Intelligent Power Limited
Project Contact, Ocean Power Delivery Ltd.
Project Contact, South West Electrolysers
Project Contact, ConocoPhillips (UK) Ltd
Project Contact, IT Power Ltd
Project Contact, Marine Current Turbines Ltd
Project Contact, Ross Deeptech Initiatives Ltd
Project Contact, Scottish Natural Heritage
Project Contact, The Engineering Business Ltd
Project Contact, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
Project Contact, The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)
Project Contact, The Clean Energy Company
Project Contact, Scottish and Southern Energy plc
Project Contact, Seapower
Project Contact, EEST
Project Contact, QinetiQ Ltd
Project Contact, Workers Educational Association
Project Contact, Southport College
Project Contact, Corus

From current estimates of the resource, the marine energy sector could look to provide around 27 of the UK s annual electricity supply. Ultimately, for this to be realised, the developer/investor needs to be confident of the risk and return aspects of their investment through an holistic understanding of: resource quantification and device interaction; engineering risk and uncertainty; attachment, optimisation and control of MEC s; delivery and control of the energy to network infrastructures,and the economic parameters that underpin their investment decisions. At a strategic level, improving knowledge and understanding in these areas enables specific microeconomic research to provide a macroeconomic view of this emerging sector, and enable a range of scenarios to be developed that could respond to changing input/output parameters for the technologies, or larger scale socio-economic and environmental changes. This could provide support to policy development processesand assess theimplications of changes to economic instruments. For the marine energy sector to provide such an assurance to its stakeholders, the proposed research has been developed and tested against 5 overarching principles that must be embodied in each ol the work areas: to deliver a quantifiable reduction in the level of uncertainty; to quantify the risk; to increase the level of understanding within the research (and stakeholder) community; to provide a consistent methodology for progression of newwork,and to deliver an accurate picture of the true position of marine energy converters in a future energy portfolio. By adopting these principles the marine consortium will meet the aims of the SUPERGEN programme, and engage stakeholders in the development of a successful marine energy sector

01/01/07