Report on effectiveness of UK wave energy policy set for launch

Illustration (Photo: flickr/Emlyn Stokes/Eastokes Productions; Cropped)

 
The International Public Policy Institute at the University of Strathclyde will host a launch event for the new report which examines the effectiveness of support for UK wave energy innovation since 2000.

The report, produced by Matthew Hannon, Chancellor’s Fellow of Technology and Innovation at the University of Strathclyde’s Business School, draws upon expert reviews, documentary evidence and a wealth of quantitative data.

Wave energy has the potential to provide approximately 20% of the UK’s electricity supply and make an important contribution to meeting its 2050 climate change target.

However, despite almost £200 million of public funds being invested in UK wave energy innovation since 2000, wave energy technology remains some distance away from commercialization, the University of Strathclyde said.

Questions remain about whether the strategy taken by government and industry to accelerate wave energy technology innovation could be partly responsible for wave energy’s slow progress.

The report examines the extent to which the level and type of UK wave energy innovation support has contributed to its slow progress and highlights recommendations to help accelerate wave energy innovation in the future.

The launch event will be held on November 2, 2017, at Court Senate Suite, Collins Building, University of Strathclyde.