Question reference: S5W-01168
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 30 June 2016
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 19 July 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government to ensure that the actions of Wave Energy Scotland are aligned with the other UK-wide wave innovation programmes.
Answer
There are currently no other funded wave innovation programmes with which Wave Energy Scotland (WES) can align. The Scottish Government has taken the initiative in the UK by developing this internationally unique programme.
However, the Energy Catalyst run by Innovate UK is a general energy fund for early stage technology which has funded some wave projects, and complements WES alongside other early stage funds available to wave developers. This arrangement has proven successful in allowing three projects; Zyber, Checkmate and Artemis, which started with Energy Catalyst funding, to then progress into the WES programme.
WES is also co-ordinating activity with the SuperGen UK Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER), which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Reasearch Council. Objectives and priorities are already aligned and the option of a joint research call between the organisations is actively being pursued.
In addition, WES has been in discussion with other non-UK funders, namely the EU Horizon 2020 programme and the ERANET co-fund to ensure these research and development priority areas are well aligned.
The UK Government has yet to signal any future commitment to funding wave technology from its available energy innovation funds and there is uncertainty over revenue support for marine renewables. A co-ordinated UK technology programme based on the WES concept would be a clear signal of the UK Government’s continued support for the sector.