Irish groups set to benefit from €9m EU marine renewables fund

‘MaRINET’ initiative opens access to marine testing sites across Europe

The Irish marine renewable energy sector is set to benefit from a new €9m EU-funded initiative to provide access to test facilities in specialist marine renewable energy centres across Europe. ‘MaRINET’ (Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network) offers periods of marine renewable energy testing at these centres at no cost to participants through funding from the European Commission. Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and University College Cork are key partners in this initiative.

MaRINET supports testing of concepts and devices in areas such as wave energy, tidal energy, offshore-wind energy and the environment, to accelerate Europe-wide development of marine renewable energy. The funding seeks to remove financial barriers for the first time by enabling companies and research groups to access unique world-class European testing facilities outside their own country, which is generally not covered under national grant schemes.

The initiative, with at least four calls for applications, runs until 2015 and the first call for applications opens today, 1^st December. Potential users, who must work in Europe or a country associated to the European FP7 programme, are invited to apply to access this first call.

The network consists of 42 testing facilities at 28 research centres in 12 countries. By linking these marine renewable energy testing facilities and using an agreed testing framework, this initiative now provides a clear path to commercialisation by allowing users to seamlessly progress their device through each phase of testing. All participating centres will use common standards, conduct research to improve their own testing capability and provide training to enhance expertise in the field.

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is offering its Galway Bay quarter scale wave energy testing facility. A significant number of European companies and research groups are expected to apply to use these facilities. Eoin Sweeney of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, called on Irish companies and research groups to apply for funding to access European facilities through MaRINET:

‘‘MaRINET offers a unique opportunity to access these world-class European test facilities in order to validate and progress concepts at any stage of development, and to ultimately harness the untapped renewable energy resources that are abundant around the European coastline. This is a great opportunity to advance marine renewable research testing and commercial development for both Irish and European companies and research groups’’, Eoin Sweeney said.

Interested groups should complete the online application form on www.fp7-marinet.eu. The closing date for applications is 29 February 2012.

Notes to Editors:

Contact:

For further information, please contact Eoin Sweeney

Tel: 01-808-2100

Email: eoin.sweeney@seai.ie

Countries & organisations participating in MaRINET:

About SEAI

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has a mission to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. SEAI is financed by Ireland’s EU Structural Funds Programme co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union.