Ocean DEMO specifically targets multi-machine ocean energy installations. This will allow developers to move closer to market by demonstrating their technologies at full commercial scale. Ocean DEMO will release a first call for applications this year and devices will be installed from 2020 to 2022.
The transition from single machine to pilot farm scale is critical for the future of the ocean energy sector. Scaling up to multi-device farms will improve the competitiveness of the technology by bringing down costs across the supply chain. This transition comes with higher capital requirements and investors require a proven business case before they get further involved.
Ocean DEMO will ease the transition towards pilot farms by providing free access to Europe’s world leading network of open sea test centers:
EMEC – European Marine Energy Centre, UK – Project leader
DMEC – Dutch Marine Energy Centre, Netherlands
Centrale Nantes/SEM-REV – Site d’Expérimentation en Mer pour la Récupération de l’Énergie des Vagues, France SmartBay – Ireland
Ocean DEMO follows on from the highly successful FORESEA project, which provides free access to open sea test centers for single machine testing. FORESEA has helped prove the tremendous potential of ocean energy, with 19 technologies deployed and more to come this year. Examples like Orbital Marine Power, who generated over 3 GWh of electricity in a year, proved that the technology works and can be part of a renewable energy mix in Europe.
Industry group Ocean Energy Europe will channel the project’s achievements and learnings to its international network of ocean energy professionals, ensuring broad dissemination across the sector.