Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland have joined forces to advance the development of ocean energy technology by forming a new collaborative network.
Scottish Enterprise said separate agencies from each of the three countries, including itself, formed the Ocean Power Innovation Network, or OPIN, which is hosting its inaugural meeting in Dublin today.
“The network’s mission is to advance innovation by learning from experts in other industries, to push the boundaries of what’s possible in ocean energy and progress innovative ocean projects in a coordinated way,” Scottish Enterprise said.
Companies with ocean energy projects include OpenHyrdo, which plans to develop a commercial scale 100MW tidal energy array in waters off Northern Ireland’s coast.
The network also hopes to share knowledge with representatives from the oil and gas industry, who are among participants at today’s event.
“The coasts of Ireland and Scotland have an abundant supply of ocean energy,” Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland head of emerging sectors Declan Meally said.
“Pooling resources, knowledge and experience between us and collaborating outside the ocean energy sector means we can bring best practices together and drive development in ocean energy.”
OPIN’s next meetings will be hosted by Northern Ireland and Scotland later in the year, Scottish Enterprise said.
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