The EVOLVE project was delighted to share our latest research on the system benefits of ocean energy was presented at the Wave Energy Scotland Annual Conference 2022 on Tuesday 3rd May.
Dr Shona Pennock from the University of Edinburgh presented her research that aims to quantify the benefits of including wave and tidal deployments within the UK’s future energy mix. Dr. Pennock highlighted that even relatively low installed capacities of ocean energy could produce quantifiable benefits for the energy system because the availability of wave and tidal energy resource can offset some of the intermittency associated with more established renewable energy sources such as wind and solar PV. This offsetting results in a more consistent renewable energy generation profile as higher proportions of ocean energy are deployed. In this sense, ocean energy can enable lower dispatch requirements for expensive, carbon-intensive fossil fuel generation.
Upcoming work in the EVOLVE project will include modelling a number of scenarios for British, Irish and Portuguese energy systems, including scenarios for net zero (2050) energy mixes.
