A panel of experts drawn from two trailblazing tidal energy projects will discuss the socio-economic, environmental and commercial prospects for tidal energy in the UK and across the European continent.

The ENFAIT project is Europe’s flagship tidal energy project, led by Nova Innovation at the Shetland Tidal Array, the world’s first operational tidal energy array. The panel will discuss learnings from the past three years of the project and introduce new research being conducted under EnFAIT’s sister project ELEMENT.

What does the future hold for tidal? Find out more from our panel presentations and discussion, and you will also get the chance to put your own questions to them.

PARTICIPANTS:

Heather McLarty, Project Manager, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult

Pieter Goubert, Senior Analyst, Nova Innovation

Herveline Gaborieau (Development Manager) and Nolwenn Quillien (Research Fellow) France Énergies Marines

Annig Lehnertz, Business Analyst, IDETA (Agence de Développement Territorial)

Agenda

Introduction (Heather McLarty)

15.05-15.20: Europe’s Living Laboratory: The Shetland Tidal Array (Pieter Goubert)

Pieter will explain how Nova Innovation’s Shetland Tidal Array has been Europe’s living laboratory for tidal energy under two EU-funded Horizon 2020 projects: EnFAIT and ELEMENT as well as related research and technology innovation activities.

15.20-15.35: Assessing the Environmental Impact of Tidal Arrays (Herveline Gaborieau and Nolwenn Quillien)

The France Énergies Marines team are leading the environmental assessment work package for the ELEMENT project at the estuary site in France (Étel). They will explain the state-of-the-art for environmental assessment: what we know about the impact of tidal turbines on marine life and what the project aims to find out.

15.35-15.50: Measuring the Socio-Economic Benefits of Tidal Energy (Annig Lehnertz)

IDETA has led the socio-economic modelling for the Shetland Tidal Array under the EnFAIT project and is expanding their research to include how tidal energy arrays can support local energy communities under the ELEMENT project. Annig discusses the findings and possibilities being explored under the projects.

15.50-16.10: Future Prospects for Tidal Energy in France and Beyond

The panel discuss the work underway to identify sites in France that are ripe for tidal energy development as well as what they think the future of tidal energy will look like in Europe in the coming years.

16.10-16.30 Questions and Answers

Put your questions to the panel

 

Please note that this session will be recorded.