OES: Surge in Tidal Energy in 2020

The last annual report issued by Ocean Energy Systems (OES) highlights significant international investment including $25m pledged by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support 12 ‘next-generation’ marine energy projects and Wave Energy Scotland committing $9.9 million in two wave energy machines next year.

“In the last 12 months we have seen major progress with global tidal projects achieving extensive operating hours and wave technology progressing in large-scale laboratory and offshore test sites,” said OES chairman Henry Jeffrey from the University of Edinburgh. “A growing range of devices is now being tested in open water with an acceleration of cross-border R&D projects supported by the European Commission.

“OES has also been working closely with the US Department of Energy, Wave Energy Scotland and the European Commission to achieve an internationally accepted approach of performance metrics for ocean energy development. This will be of high value to technology developers, investors and funders. We expect to see many more advances that are positive in 2020 with large investments being made by governments around the world."

The OES was launched in 2001 as a technology collaboration program of the International Energy Agency (IEA). It was created in response to increased ocean wave and tidal current energy activity primarily in Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The organization now consists of 25 members including specialists from government departments, national energy agencies, as well as research and scientific bodies.