The two organisations originally began working together in 2012, with EMEC providing support on the design, set up and operation of NNMREC’s Pacific Marine Energy Centre (PMEC) – a grid-connected marine energy test centre proposed for development off the Pacific Northwest coast. EMEC supported NNMREC with the site selection process, advising on stakeholder engagement, preparing development plans and conducting risk assessments.
The MoU signed by the two organisations builds on this to facilitate cooperation through joint research activities, sharing experiences and information exchange relevant to the sustainable global development of marine renewable energy. Of particular interest to both parties is the development of methods to facilitate environmental studies around marine energy converters. Both organisations are developing integrated monitoring technologies – EMEC’s Integrated Monitoring Pod (IMP), and NNMREC’s intelligent Adaptable Monitoring Package (iAMP) – and working in tandem should reduce costs whilst speeding up development of the systems.
“Developing wave and tidal energy technologies to meet energy demands in a way that is economically viable and environmentally benign is a global challenge: international collaboration is essential to progress with this as efficiently and effectively as possible” said Elaine Buck, EMEC’s Technical Manager, who signed the MoU on behalf of EMEC. “EMEC and NNMREC have developed knowledge in technical, environmental, and economic aspects of marine renewable energy. Sharing our expertise and taking advantage of economies of scale to answer key research questions is of mutual interest.”
Brian Polagye, Associate Professor at the University of Washington, and Co-Director of NNMREC, added that NNMREC welcomes the opportunity for broader collaborations with EMEC that help to move the centre’s advances in environmental monitoring out of the laboratory and into the field where they can benefit the marine renewables industry.
According to Belinda Batten, Professor at Oregon State University, and Director of NNMREC, NNMREC’s collaborations with EMEC to date have been invaluable for strategically advancing its ocean test facilities.
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