Crown Estate Scotland survey shows interest in tidal, wave development

A survey ordered by Crown Estate Scotland indicates a significant appetite for the development of tidal and wave energy in Scotland, the agency said on Thursday.

The survey was conducted by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult last year as Crown Estate Scotland sought to engage with the sector. It showed that while tidal energy and wave energy companies share common challenges around consenting timelines, grid connections and financing, it’s important to reflect their differing priorities. Tidal energy is focused on utility-scale applications to supply the grid or local demand, while the wave sector is more geared towards offshore applications, such as decarbonisation of oil and gas and colocation.

Crown Estate Scotland said the survey confirmed the appropriateness of its current approach to leasing, where leases for projects of up to 30 MW are awarded on an ad-hoc basis, but further consideration of the 30-MW limit might be needed. The report has also identified a number of improvements to the current leasing mechanism, with some feasible in the short term and others needing longer-term initiatives and policy support.

“This feedback from those working on the frontline of the wave energy and tidal stream sectors is invaluable in providing us with the evidence we need to improve processes and support these vital industries to play their part in helping reach net-zero targets,” said Caitlin Byers, development manager for Crown Estate Scotland.

“There is clear appetite from wave and tidal developers to deploy in Scotland, and Crown Estate Scotland’s review to look at ways to accelerate commercialisation is perfect timing for the marine energy sector that is gearing up to deploy at scale,” commented Simon Cheeseman, sector lead for wave and tidal energy at ORE Catapult.

The executive summary of the ORE Catapult report is published on Crown Estate Scotland website.

Meanwhile, Ocean Energy Europe this week released statistics indicating the ocean energy sector is progressing towards commercialisation.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!