Six Offshore Renewable Tech Developers Get EU Support

The EU-funded Ocean DEMO project has awarded recommendations for support to six offshore renewable energy developers under its fourth call. 

The awards support developers on their path to commercialization and ease the transition of ocean energy towards multi-device farms by providing free access to open sea test sites. 

Funded by Interreg North-West Europe, Ocean DEMO is a €13 million project aiming to accelerate ocean energy’s transition from single prototype to multi-device farms by providing free access to world-leading test centers: EMEC (UK), DMEC (NL), SEM REV (FR) and SmartBay (IE).

Successful applicants receive free access to test their ocean energy products and services in real sea environments at the project’s network of test centers. Technology developers applied for support packages to test multi-device farms or single devices looking to scale up to multi-device in the future.

The following technology developers were recommended for support packages under the 4th call by the Ocean DEMO Selection Board, and two of them already started testing in real sea conditions.

• Aquantis to build and test simplified AQ08 prototype at EMEC.
• Dutch Wave Power to validate, test and demonstrate a 1:3 scale WEC prototype at DMEC.
• LHYFE Labs to design and install the first offshore electrolysis unit in the world to be operated from shore at SEM REV.
• MOCEAN Energy’s extended testing of its Blue X wave energy converter at EMEC’s Scapa Flow test site.
• OV Wind to develop a concrete floating platform for the offshore wind industry at SmartBay.
• University of Edinburgh to test a system for the measurement of 3D fluid velocities in dynamic coastal waters at EMEC.

"The support packages provide a real boost to technology developers by allowing them to test their pioneering ocean energy technologies at sea. It also helps them attract further investment and move along the path to commercialization,"

Project partners are available during the 2-day OEE2021 event at stand n°5 on the exhibition floor, and during the official Ocean DEMO side event ‘Building national support: a pathway to multi-device farms’ on Monday 6 December, 13:30 to 14:30.

Koen Donkers, Business & Innovation Advisor at DMEC, said:
‘We reviewed the applications for Ocean DEMO’s 4th call with great interest. The project’s already promising pipeline will be strengthened by demonstrating these marine energy technologies in real sea conditions.

After a fruitful 2021, this 4th call will help 2022 become another successful year of deployments for the Ocean DEMO project.’