UK increases wave energy support

Created on Thursday, 20 October 2011 19:17

The British government continues its support of wave energy technology.

Claire Gibson, general manager at WaveHub, said it would boost the development of wave energy machines.  She said the proposal "helps close the economic viability gap, which remains the biggest stumbling block to the commercial deployment of wave devices." 

Wave energy was a clear winner in the UK government's recent re-think of subsidies for green energy, which cut support for other technologies.

There were also a few clear winners – chiefly tidal and wave energy, which will receive five renewable obligation certificates for each megawatt (MW) on smaller schemes. However, bigger installations – above 30MW – will receive only two. Renewable obligation certificates are the means by which low-carbon energy is subsidised – energy companies buy them from developers to fulfil their legal obligations to generate green power.

Tremont Electric's nPower® Wave Energy Converter, recently patented, is well placed to take advantage of the growing support for clean energy from the waves of the ocean.