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Europe’s industrial leadership in ocean energy is increasingly at risk, according to statistics released today by Ocean Energy Europe. Despite ambitious EU deployment targets, fewer projects hit European waters in 2022 than in any year since 2010. Meanwhile, global competitors like the US and China are catching up fast.

If the EU is determined to come out on top in this new era of global cleantech competition, it cannot let its frontrunner position slip away. How the bloc responds to this test of its leadership in wave & tidal energy will be an object lesson for its wider Green Deal industrial vision.

Back in 2020, the EU’s Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy targeted global leadership in wave & tidal energy and set ambitious deployment targets.[i] But fast-forward two years, and both tidal and wave energy capacity additions in Europe have hit a ten-year low, outstripped by increased activity in the rest of the world.

2022 tidal stream installations in Europe were limited to small-scale projects, and were dwarfed by a single state-funded, large-scale Chinese device. In wave energy, last year was the fifth in a row where the rest of the world installed more capacity than Europe. Europe still holds the lead in terms of cumulative wave capacity, but only just.  

The drivers of this new dynamic are clear – public funding and policy support. The US now commits circa US$110 million for ocean energy annually and is building the world’s largest wave energy test site. China continues to pour state funds into large projects. And both the UK and Canada are providing dedicated revenue support, among a host of other measures.

11 January 2023, Brussels. Orbital Marine Power (Orbital), one of the world’s leading tidal energy developers, is increasing their support of the vital work that Ocean Energy Europe is doing to promote the sector, by becoming a Lead Partner.

Hailing from Scotland, Orbital is helping turn the tide on climate change by commercialising their ground-breaking technology that captures renewable energy from the power of the earth’s naturally occurring tidal stream resources.

Orbital’s O2 project, supported by Horizon 2020, delivered the world’s most powerful and advanced tidal turbine, which began exporting low-carbon electricity to the UK grid in July, 2021. The O2 is a 2 MW+ floating device capable of providing utility-scale, clean energy whilst supporting a just transition by creating sustainable, quality jobs throughout the project lifecycle, and is able to offset over 2,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

In 2022, Orbital was awarded 7.2MW of ‘Contracts for Difference’ (CfDs) in the UK Government’s long-term revenue support mechanism for renewables process. This is a significant milestone in the company’s growth, with these CfDs underpinning the delivery of a multi-turbine project in Eday, Orkney. Once operational, the combined Orbital project will be connected to the UK grid and will power approximately 10,000 homes.

The Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers (EUREC) has released a new report, supporting the European Parliament’s proposed amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive (“RED III”) which calls for at least 5% of new renewable energy capacity to come from innovative renewable energy technologies. Ocean Energy Europe enthusiastically supports this target, as it will speed up the commercialisation of new, high-quality, European-made renewable energy technologies, including ocean energy. The next stage of the negotiations with EU Member States must now lock in this new target and deliver the energy future that Europe deserves.

The EUREC report demonstrates that the 5% innovation target is well-formulated and can be implemented via existing EU laws, and by building on approaches already used in some Member States. It also explains why innovative renewables are crucial to security of supply and bringing down energy prices, as they make use of indigenous resources and can provide better balancing of Europe’s electricity supply and demand.

Download the report here: “5% of new capacity from ‘Innovative’ Renewable Energy – A necessary and do-able enhancement to the Renewable Energy Directive“

The report was authored by EUREC, with support from Cleantech for Europe, Climate Strategy, European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE), European Renewable Energies Federation, and Future Cleantech Architects.

Next year’s Ocean Energy Europe Conference & Exhibition (OEE2023) will take place in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Dutch Marine Energy Community, led by the Dutch Marine Energy Centre (DMEC) as platinum sponsor with local support from the Municipality of The Hague, is looking forward to hosting this exciting event in the so-called “City by the Sea”.

OEE2023 will bring together ocean technology developers, decision-makers, supply chain actors and researchers from around the world to share the latest news from the world of ocean energy, and to define the future direction of the sector.  Since the first edition in 2013, the annual Ocean Energy Europe Conference & Exhibition has grown to be the leading European event on ocean energy.  

Renewables displace fossil fuels. And in doing so, they make a critical contribution to decarbonisation. We therefore welcome your efforts to rebalance the Innovation Fund to better include renewable energy.

The ‘clean tech manufacturing’ and ‘mid-sized & highly innovative’ windows are particularly important for renewables. These windows can deliver a wide range and depth of innovative renewable projects. Such projects will form the basis of Europe’s future energy system whilst strengthening jobs, sustainable growth, competitiveness, and the EU’s strategic energy independence.

It is therefore essential that these windows are well-resourced within the 3rd call budget.

Read the full letter

Ocean Energy Europe welcomes the European Parliament’s vote for a dedicated sub-target for innovative renewables in the new EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). The next stage of the negotiations with the Council must now lock in this new target and deliver the energy future that Europe deserves. 

Donagh Cagney, Policy Director at Ocean Energy Europe, commented “This target creates a strong ‘market pull’ for innovative technologies, and keeps Europe competitive at a global level. It future-proofs the Directive – securing the renewables innovation needed not only for 2030, but also to hit our 2040 and 2050 targets – all the way to net zero.” 

The sub-target means that by 2030, 5% of all new renewable energy capacity installed in the EU should come from innovative renewable energy sources, including ocean energy. Adopted on Wednesday by an overwhelming cross-party majority, together with the broader 45% renewables target, this is a vital step forward for clean, affordable and ‘homegrown’ energy sources.  

The Parliament’s lead on the new Directive, Markus Pieper MEP, said “Only the expansion of renewable energy means true independence.” 

The IPCC warns that we are entering code red for humanity: more than 1.5 °C warming is inevitable unless we make deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions immediately. Pressure on European fossil supplies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine tells us what we already know – renewable energy is security and fossil fuel dependency is vulnerability. Consumption of Russian fossil fuels directly funds the invasion, while gas-driven energy price hikes overwhelm European citizens. This exceptional backdrop compels us to urgently reshape national and European energy policies.

Accelerated renewable deployment is critical to our independence from Russian fossil energy and will protect our citizens and economies from rapidly rising energy prices.

We must act now to speed up the renewable energy transition. Securing a European-wide 45% renewable energy target for 2030 – or higher – in REDIII negotiations is paramount to ensure that European citizens and businesses have access to clean, secure, and affordable energy.

Read the full letter

Our Policy Director Donagh Cagney explains why ocean energy is well-placed to be as successful as wind and solar in Europe’s renewables market on Innovation News Network.

As temperatures in Europe rise even faster than expected, the effects of climate change are getting very real. Coupled with skyrocketing energy prices that stem from an overreliance on fossil fuels, it is clearer than ever that Europe’s future depends on its transition to a 100% renewable energy system.

We need to act now to reach that goal, by developing a range of innovative renewable energy sources to complement the already well-established wind and solar sectors. One of those innovations is ocean energy – the next big thing in energy. The oceans are the world’s largest untapped source of power. Ocean energy technologies harness the power of tides and waves, as well as differences in temperature and salinity, to produce electricity.

Ocean energy is clean, renewable and has the potential to provide 10% of Europe’s current electricity needs by 2050. That is enough to power 94 million households every year. In addition, a strong ocean energy industry will yield many economic benefits for Europe, from local jobs to global export opportunities.

Read the full article

European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson visited a trailblazing tidal energy project today, at the Eastern Scheldt Tidal Power Plant in Zeeland. The power plant has been supplying 100% predictable and renewable power since 2016 and is a prime example of what Europe can achieve with its indigenous wave and tidal resources.

Commissioner Simson and her delegation arrived at the plant on tidal-powered electric bikes – offering a glimpse of a future where tidal energy is an everyday part of EU citizens’ lives. The visit was organised by Ocean Energy Europe, together with Tocardo and the Dutch Marine Energy Centre, to illustrate how tidal energy is already producing clean and reliable electricity and can be a key part of Europe’s future energy mix. 

The tidal power produced here is used locally to balance variable wind and solar plants, so that residents and businesses can benefit from a 100% renewable energy supply. This is just one example of how ocean energy can be combined with other renewables to deliver a European energy system which is secure, reliable and fully decarbonised.

The renewable energy sector calls on EU Member States to support the creation of an installation target for innovative renewable energy in the Renewable Energy Directive.

Sky-high energy prices underlining Europe’s dependence from imported fossil sources and another summer of extreme weather have highlighted the need to speed up the transformation of our energy system towards one fully based on renewables. Scaling up next- generation renewable technologies and bringing them to market quickly will be essential in providing Europe and the world with clean, affordable energy.

Today’s vote on the Renewable Energy Directive by the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) is important in putting forward:

• a new indicative target for innovative renewables set at 5% of all renewable energy capacity installed between the entry into force of the revision to the Directive and 2030;
• National Energy and Climate Plans as the vehicle for Member States to set out the policies that will deliver innovative renewables;
• an increase in the ambition of the EU’s overall renewable energy target to 45% of gross final consumption of energy by 2030 and a higher target for the increase of RES use in the industrial sector combined with an emphasis on Heating and Cooling Purchase Agreements.