European wave and tidal energy installations reached nearly 40MW in 2018, according to figures published by Ocean Energy Europe.
Tidal stream capacity in Europe stood at 26.8MW, while wave energy installations reached 11.3MW by the end of last year in the region, according to the study.
Last year tidal projects in Europe produced record volumes of electricity of close to 35 gigawatt-hours.
The research found that other parts of the world, especially Canada and China, are catching up. Tidal power installations outside Europe jumped from zero in 2015 to 6.7MW by the end of 2018.
While Europe still dominates global wave energy installations, the US is becoming a strong contender with significant financial incentives and plans for pilot sites, said the report.
To stay out in front and get projects over the line, the European sector needs revenue support at national level, advised Ocean Energy Europe.
The group’s chief executive Remi Gruet said: “The power, and learnings, produced by ocean energy technologies in recent years clearly show that it is possible to generate large quantities of electricity from the sea.
“What we now need to reach industrialisation is revenue support, just like other renewables, and indeed fossil fuels, have also received.”
The statistics were compiled by Ocean Energy Europe using data gathered from the ocean energy industry.