ERI Met New Partners In Thurso To Kick Off Turnkey Project

11th April 2014

New project aims to find marine energy hot spots

A project to find the best new places to install marine energy devices in Europe was launched in Thurso today.

Led by scientists at North Highland College UHI’s Environmental Research Institute, TURNKEY (transforming underutilised renewable natural resource into key energy yields) will bring together representatives from five European countries and use cutting edge technology to assess the locations with the best marine energy potential.

Researchers will also be trying to find out whether marine devices impact on fish species and spawning sites, and whether cables on the sea bed may present any electromagnetic disturbances.

Each of the project’s partners, which come from Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal, have also committed to sharing their marine energy expertise with each other to help speed up development and economic benefits over the course of the year-long project. The €2 million initiative is being co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Speaking about TURNKEY, Professor Stuart Gibb, director of the Environmental Research Institute, said: Untapped marine renewable energy sources are attracting interest worldwide. European countries with western coasts exposed to the North Atlantic Ocean have some of the best wave and tidal resources in the world. We are delighted to be leading this important project and to host its launch event here in Caithness.’”