Pioneering Projects - European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)

The award-winning European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) - the only facility of its kind in the world – has a truly global market in testing and verifying wave and tidal energy converters.

It is here in Orkney that unproven marine energy devices are independently tested in real life situations. For what EMEC helps developers do is transform renewable energy prototypes into commercially-viable income generating technology.

Since it opened in 2004, EMEC has quickly emerged as a key player in Scotland's energetic push to be at the forefront in the evolution of marine technology.

The developments at EMEC have generated worldwide interest, and the centre regualrly hosts international delegations from countries with an interest in marine energy development.

Its work has also earned EMEC a number of top industry awards, including the 2007 Green Energy Award for Best Renewable Innovation.

2007 was a landmark year for EMEC, when in September First Minister Alex Salmond officially opened the tidal test site where Dublin-based OpenHydro is testing its tidal turbine. Ten years in development, this is the UK's first grid-connected tidal turbine. The company's Open-Centre Turbine generates electricity from tidal currents and will be connnected to a seabed cable at the Fall of Warness off the island of Eday.

Earlier the same year, it was announced that eight out of nine companies to benefit from £13.5m funding from the Scottish Government, will use EMEC to test their tidal and wave technolgoies.

Orkney was chosen as the location for the European Marine Energy Centre for a number of reasons, including its energy profile, access to harbour facilities and grid connection, and the wide range of supporting businesses located close by.

EMEC is centred around three sites on Orkney: a small, partially underground building at Billia Croo on Orkney's Atlantic coastline which houses switchgear and other control equipment for the wave test bed facilities off the coast in that area; the EMEC offices and data centre situated in the Old Academy in Stromness; and the tidal device testing area off the Island at Eday.

At the deepwater test facility off Billia Croo, four cables run offshore to deepwater berths, and at Eday five cables run to berthing points at different water depths. Both sites have communication links back to the Stromness office.

It is at Billia Croo that Edinburgh-based Ocean Power Delivery, now known as Pelamis Wave Power Ltd, tested its Pelamis wave energy converter, where it first started producing power for the National Grid. This was the world's first ever trial of a grid-connected machine capable of turning energy from offshore waves into electricity at commercially-viable levels.

A number of tidal energy developers have committed themselves to testing their devices at EMEC, including OpenHydro, Aquamarine Power Ltd and Lunar Energy.