The Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association’s annual conference opens in Wellington next month. Day One (opening Celia Wade-Brown): Presentations: - Keynote: Mr. Richard Morris, Commercial Director of the European Marine Energy Centre in the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
- Marine energy testing centres in the UK and in New Zealand
- Environmental impacts
- Remote sensing
- Current NZ projects
- Tidal resources and technologies
- Grid connection issues for variable marine energy generation
- Project developments in Scotland
- Guidelines for developing a successful project.
Day Two (opening Vicki Treadell, British High Commissioner): Workshops: Active NZ Projects and Research: Project presentations from: - Energy Pacifica
- Tangaroa Energy
- Wave Energy Technology - New Zealand
- Chatham Islands Marine Energy
- Reports from two NZ-based Ph.D. students working on marine energy issues.
UK - NZ Marine Energy Mission: - Presentations from each of the ten or more UK visitors, who will be participating in the conference.
- Each UK visitor will make a presentation on their particular interests and expertise in marine energy.
The Executive Director of AWATEA, Dr John Huckerby, says that Scotland
has much to pass on that will help New Zealand’s nascent industry.
“The
Orkney Islands, for example, to the north of the Scottish mainland,
have some of the world’s best tidal and wave energy resources, and there
are plans to install over 1000 wave and tidal turbines there over the
next decade. The European Marine Energy Centre on the Orkney Islands
currently has 4 wave machines, 4 tidal turbines and 2 half-scale
turbines in the water. Orkney now boasts a burgeoning support industry
with several new purpose-built vessels and the development of port
infrastructure in the world-renowned Scapa Flow and surrounding region,”
he says. Press release: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1203/S00795/scottish-marine-energy-leaders-to-visit-new-zealand.htm Conference: http://www.awatea.org.nz/conference12/conference12.html | 