Back to homepage

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

Supporting Irish offshore renewable energy

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is Ireland’s national energy agency. SEAI aims to create a cleaner energy future by making Ireland’s energy sustainable, secure, affordable and clean.

SEAI supports the Irish offshore renewable energy sector by advising government on policy, offering grant support schemes, developing test site infrastructure, and providing information through the Ocean Energy Ireland portal.

Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP)

SEAI is actively involved in implementing Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP) which was published in 2014 by the former Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

The OREDP highlights Ireland’s focus on stimulating industry-led projects for the development and deployment of ocean energy devices and systems. These projects have been and continue to be supported through grant support scheme such as the Ocean Energy Prototype Development Fund and the National Energy Research Funding Programme. To date SEAI has supported 123 ocean related projects and has grant aided over €19M in support to Ocean energy companies.

Funding for developing ocean energy

 

SEAI has also been key in leveraging funding from the EU for initiatives to support the development of the ocean energy and offshore industry. In 2018 SEAI, with EU partners, secured funding for the following EU projects:

 

OPIN

The OPIN (Ocean Power Innovation Network) project will run from October 2018 to December 2022 and is supported by Interreg North West Europe. OPIN will encourage both cross-sectoral and cross-regional collaboration for offshore renewable energy SMEs. Cross-sectoral collaboration will bring already proven expertise, capabilities and products from other sectors into the ocean energy sector accelerating the growth of the ocean energy sector and its supply chains. OPIN activities include the growth of a transnational cross sector network, challenge calls for cross-sectoral collaborative innovation projects, and tailored support to SMEs. SEAI is the lead partner in this project.

 

For more information of the OPIN Project and to become a network member visit: www.nweurope.eu/opin

 

AFLOWT

The AFLOWT (Accelerating market uptake of Floating Offshore Wind Technology) project will run from January 2019 to December 2024 and is supported by Interreg North West Europe. The project aims to build a full-scale floating wind device to deploy and test in the Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS) in Belmullet. This will demonstrate the investability of floating wind technology and promote its uptake in north west Europe and globally.

 

For more information of the OPIN Project and to become a network member visit: www.nweurope.eu/aflowt

 

OceanSET

OceanSET (Support to the Realisation of the Ocean Energy Implementation Plan of the SET-Plan) project will run from February 2019 to December 2021 and is supported by Horizon 2020. The project was developed to support the Implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) for Ocean Energy. Its ambition is to outline a structured approach that will enable wave and tidal technologies to follow a credible development path, with the ultimate destination of a commercially viable wave and tidal industry. SEAI is the lead partner in this project.

 

 

Test and demonstration facilities

 

SEAI also has a key role in the development and continued expansion of several outstanding test and demonstration facilities covering all Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) for offshore renewable energy devices. These facilities include: the Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site

 

Lír National Ocean Test Facility

The Lír National Ocean Test Facility in Ringaskiddy Co. Cork is a state-of-the-art wave and current test facility with coastal/tidal testing capabilities. It comprises of a 2,600 m2 tank hall which houses 4 different wave test tanks.

 

Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site

SEAI also supports the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site located within the confines of Galway Bay. This Marine Institute site is licenced for the testing of ocean energy devices, floating wind devices and components.

 

Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site

SEAI is also developing the Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS), off the coast of Belmullet in Co. Mayo. It will be Ireland’s first full scale test site for deploying offshore renewable energy devices in an open ocean environment at depths of 50m and 100m.

 

 

Ocean Energy Portal

 

SEAI manages the development of Ireland’s Ocean Energy Portal in partnership with the Marine Institute. Launched in 2014, the portal is the “first stop shop” for developers to engage with relevant support sectors in Ireland, as well as allowing them to obtain the most relevant and up to date information on the marine renewable energy sector. This includes access to marine data, maps, tools, funding and further information relevant to renewable energy site assessment, development and management.

 

To find out more visit: www.oceanenergyireland.com

 

 

Further information

 

For more information on how SEAI supports the Irish offshore renewable energy sector visit: www.seai.ie/oceanenergy/