Nova Innovation leads tidal energy talk at G7 summit

Nova Innovation CEO Simon Forrest, and a Shetland tidal array turbine (Photo: Nova Innovation)

 
UK tidal energy company Nova Innovation will speak of the opportunities for capturing energy from tides at today’s – September 21, 2018 – meeting of G7 ministers on climate change, oceans and clean energy.

The tidal energy developer is due to speak in Canada with G7 energy ministers in a roundtable discussion focused on offshore energy development.

Nova Innovation CEO Simon Forrest, and a Shetland tidal array turbine (Photo: Nova Innovation)

The discussion is part of a three-day series of meetings involving the G7 countries’ environment and energy ministers in Nova Scotia, on the theme of ‘working together on climate change, oceans and clean energy’.

Simon Forrest, CEO at Nova Innovation, said: “Tidal energy is an abundant global resource which is clean and – unlike other renewables – completely predictable.

“Our projects are demonstrating that it is becoming economically viable to generate electricity from the tides. By providing a supportive policy environment for tidal deployments, the G7 countries can accelerate the transition to clean energy.

“We are pleased to participate in the G7 Ministerial meeting and we look forward to discussing the opportunities for tidal energy development.”

Transformative projects that Nova is leading include one of the world’s first grid-connected offshore tidal energy arrays, at Bluemull Sound in Scotland, built by Nova in 2016.

The project has been operational for more than two years. It will double in size through the EU’s flagship €20 million EnFAIT project, which is expected to result in the improved reliability and availability of tidal energy arrays, while also making tidal energy bankable by reducing costs by at least 40%.

To remind, the European Commission has recently given its green light for the EnFAIT project – enabling the developers to proceed to the next stage that will see an extension of the Bluemull Sound tidal array to six turbines.