The Irish government is to provide €3.5m to fund the development and testing of new ocean energy technologies by three local marine energy firms.
The three companies – Ocean Energy (OE), SeaPower and GKinetic – will receive the funding from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
OE has secured €2.3m to design and build a full-scale version of its Ocean Energy Buoy wave energy converter, which will be deployed and tested at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii.
As well as this funding, the US Department of Energy will provide €4.5m for the project.
SeaPower will receive over €1m to test their wave energy converter at quarter scale in Galway Bay, while GKinetic Energy will receive €200,000 to conduct towing tests of its Tidal Turbine System in Limerick Docks.
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Alex White said: “I am committed to seeing the ocean energy sector deliver on its potential. I believe that Ireland has put in place the right building blocks to unlock the enormous potential around us.
“Collaboration is key. Ireland is open for business, and keen to explore collaborative opportunities, whether with our near neighbours, or further afield such as with the US.”
The announcement was made at the annual Ocean Energy Europe conference in Dublin.
Image: sxc
