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The European Marine Energy Centre and Orkney: on a sustainable path to net zero
Monday 10 May 2021, 7pm
We're delighted to welcome James Ferguson, Research & Development Engineer at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) as our next Meet the Scientist speaker. He'll be sharing details of EMEC’s work across ocean energy, green hydrogen and energy systems, honing in on technology deployment, environmental monitoring and Orkney as a lighthouse community, leading on the path to net zero.
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) was set up in 2003 in the Orkney Islands to provide a plug-and-play environment to test and further develop marine renewable energy technologies, particularly wave and tidal converters. In parallel, the world has awakened to the climate reality, culminating in the 2015 Paris Agreement where 197 governments committed to limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 ˚C. Since then, major economies, including the UK, have made legal commitments to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions. Today, Orkney produces over 100% of its electricity demand from renewable energy, is developing a hydrogen economy and was recently awarded £100M Islands Deal funding with Shetland and the Outer Hebrides, pursuing decarbonisation through projects such as the Islands Centre for Net Zero.
Reaching the net zero target will require social engagement, behavioural transformation, land use change, and critically, new technology deployment. New technology, however, also carries potential risks. Whilst renewable energy is inherently cleaner than fossil fuels, developers must consider environmental impacts of their devices. The Orkney Islands host a wide variety of flora and fauna, and EMEC has developed important expertise in environmental monitoring and consenting practices throughout its years of testing devices in marine energy environments. This talk will explore EMEC’s work across ocean energy, green hydrogen and energy systems, honing in on technology deployment, environmental monitoring and Orkney as a lighthouse community, leading on the path to net zero.
This is a 1 hour session, with a 45 minute presentation and a Q&A session. It will be broadcast via Zoom.
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Header image is Waves at Billa Croo ©️ Rob Ionides