Recent predictions for the growth of the tidal industry have been highly positive, with trade body Renewable UK estimating the industry to be worth £6billion by 2035 to the UK economy alone.
However, project and technology developers are still facing significant challenges in delivering commercial scale arrays. While technology is advancing slowly to a stage whereby it can generate power at a competitive price when combined with government incentives, project developers are still struggling to secure large scale project funding for a technology concept that is still so divergent as in the tidal industry.
Despite this, the tidal market has had a highly positive 2013 so far. With a £1.6M grant being awarded to Tidal Energy Ltd for a commercial generator project in Wales and no fewer than 12 large scale prototype devices being deployed or installed across the UK in the last year alone (Renewable UK) the industry is looking up.
It is while the challenges and potential of the tidal industry well known and documented that the industry is gearing up for the largest commercial meeting dedicated to the tidal energy industry this November. Leading policy makers, stakeholders, OEMs and manufacturers will all join the industry’s leading networking forum at the 7th International Tidal Energy Summit (26-27 November, London). With insight from Scottish Power Renewables, GDF Suez, DECC, the Crown Estate, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Alstom TGL, Siemens MCT, Andritz Hydro Hammerfest among others, ITES2013 is the only commercial networking forum to connect with all the stakeholders and developers active in the burgeoning tidal market.
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Press release, August 19, 2013; Image: hammerfeststrom