Kadri Simson is an Estonian politician from the Centre Party, European Commissioner for Energy in the von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. She was previously Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications in Jüri Ratas’ first cabinet from 2016 to 2019.
Virginijus Sinkevičius has held the position of the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, since December 2019. Before taking up this post, he was Minister of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania and a Member of the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament).
Our annual tidal energy showcase will once again shine a light on the latest developments in tidal stream technology. Developers will present their newest projects, and share the advances they have made when it comes to device design, materials and cost reduction.
Chair: Marlène Kiersnowski, Director of Development, Énergie de la Lune
Every project that installs ocean energy devices in real-sea conditions includes monitoring of potential environmental impacts. To date, impacts of single devices have been negligible. As the sector progresses towards pilot farms, developers are making sure that no harm is caused to the marine environment. In this session, speakers will reveal what’s going on under the water at the first tidal stream pilot farms and full-scale wave deployments.
Chair: Xavier Guillou, Team Leader, European Commission
It is now well understood that tidal and wave energy’s core added value is their flexibility. However, saying these technologies bring ‘value to the grid’ is not enough. This session will go beyond the slogans and showcase studies and real-world cases to demonstrate how ocean energy technologies can help balance the electricity grid.
Chair: Andrew Smith, Founder, Deja Blue
The blades of a tidal turbine determine how much energy is captured from the tides. Different solutions for blade design are under development, all with one goal: to maximise seaworthiness, yield and efficiency while reducing costs and the risk of failure. But does one design fit all? Leading tidal developers discuss/debate the different approaches for blade design in terms of materials, shape, pitching and non-pitching.
Chair: Marlène Moutel, Founder and Deputy CEO, Laminak Energy
European support opportunities for ocean energy have never been greater. This is your chance to sit down face-to-face with European funders, to better understand the possibilities now and into 2022. You’ll be able to discuss what’s in store for the Innovation Fund Small-Scale call, Horizon Europe, the revamped BlueInvest Fund, the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator programme, and an exciting new opportunity from the Basque Energy Agency.
Chair: Donagh Cagney, Policy Director, Ocean Energy Europe
This technology showcase will feature several of the world’s leading developers of OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) and SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning). Find out about how these innovative technologies have a massive potential to provide power and heating/cooling, and what the latest advances are in the field.
Chair: Yann-Hervé de Roeck, Executive Director, France Energies Marines
A range of developers will present their WECs (Wave Energy Converters) and give an insight into their plans for deployment and testing. Several devices have been installed over the past year, and this session will be an opportunity to hear about these projects and how WECs are being made more robust and more cost-efficient.
Chair: Rob Flynn, Commercial Manager, EMEC
Existing ocean energy projects are based on a mostly European supply chain, reaching from coastal regions to landlocked countries. This session will explore the supply chain opportunities that ocean energy creates. The session will also launch the forthcoming ETIP Ocean publication on the socioeconomic impact of ocean energy.
Chair: Lukasz Kolinski, Head of Unit for Renewables & System Integration Policy, European Commission