Strategy and National Targets
Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP) is currently being developed by the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources. The draft OREDP is publicly available on the Department’s and SEAI’s websites. The draft OREDP describes the current state of play in Ireland on
offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. It explains how policy is in development in this sector and some of the factors that are likely to affect policy as it develops.

The draft plan notes Ireland’s involvement in many initiatives and its openness at a strategic level to considering the possibilities and opportunities offered by offshore renewable energy. The draft OREDP considers low, medium and high scenarios for the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy in the period to 2030. The Strategic Environmental Assessment has been undertaken on these three scenarios, which include up to 4,500MW of offshore wind and 1,500MW of wave and tidal energy in the period up to 2030.

Ireland has been set a binding renewable energy target under Directive 2009/28/EC and has published a National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) setting out how the target for 2020 is to be achieved. In the NREAP, Ireland states in its modelled electricity scenario that it expects 555MW of offshore wind to be contributing to its 2020 target as well as 75MW of wave and tidal generated power. 
Noting that the Renewable Energy Directive provides co-operation mechanisms for Member States to trade renewable energy in the period to 2020, if they are able to exceed their national target, a study on the cost benefits of Ireland engaging in the co-operation mechanisms under the Directive was commissioned in 2011, for completion in the first quarter of 2012.

An Ocean Energy Roadmap, formulated by SEAI, was published in 2010. It is designed to initiate a debate about the pathway to 2050 for ocean energy in Ireland. Its analysis is based on programme experience, analysis and modelling, and a number of commissioned studies. Looking at two boundary scenarios, the Roadmap gives an indication of the resource potential and quantifies the opportunities for CO2 abatement.  The pathways are also analysed in terms of economic competitiveness, employment opportunities and energy security. The key features of the Roadmap are: 

• The Strategic Environmental Assessment reports that, potentially, 29GW of ocean energy capacity can be installed without likely significant adverse effects on the environment.
   
• Employment opportunities of up to 70,000.
   
• Cumulative economic benefit up to €12 billion by 2030 and up to €120 billion by 2050 from factors such as electricity generated, emissions reductions, security of supply, regional development & knowledge created.
   
• National energy security is significantly enhanced.

The assumptions and projections in SEAI’s Roadmap need to be rigorously tested.

Support Initiatives and Market Stimulation Incentives 
In 2009, the Government announced a refit (renewable energy feed-in) tariff of €220/MWh for wave and tidal energy. This has not yet been activated and the Industry association has proposed a more precisely structured mechanism to support the sector in its growth phase.

Main Public Funding Mechanisms 
The principal funding mechanism for the ocean energy (OE) sector is the Prototype Development fund, administered by the Ocean Energy Development Unit. This supports industry-led projects for the following types of activities:

• Projects to develop and test wave and tidal energy capture devices and systems;
   
• Independent monitoring of projects/technologies;
   
• R&D aimed at the integration of ocean energy into the electricity market and the national electricity grid (and network);
   
• Data monitoring, forecasting, communications and control of OE systems;
   
• Specific industry-led research projects, which will be carried out by research centres.

Relevant Legislation and Regulation
Offshore marine renewable energy projects currently fall within the jurisdiction of the Foreshore Acts 1933 to 2009. The Foreshore Acts apply to the seabed and shore below the line of high water of ordinary or medium tides and outwards to the 12 nautical miles limit of the territorial seas. 

Since 2010, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) has been working on the streamlining and modernising of the consent process for foreshore developments, with particular emphasis on renewable energy projects. It is intended that the reforms will deliver a plan-led policy framework for the approval of activities and developments in the marine environment, a single consent process for project approval as well as greater certainty of timeframes. Mandatory pre-application consultations, transparent assessment of environmental impacts and full public participation are also
planned. A new legislative Bill is expected in 2012.

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DECLG) is also working with other relevant departments and agencies on the development of a marine spatial planning framework, providing for the strategic development of the foreshore while managing competing and often conflicting sectoral demands. DECLG is supportive of awarding offshore renewable energy rights through a system of future competitive leasing rounds. The Department is of the view that optimal use can be made of the renewable resource through targeted development opportunities, identified and agreed by the various stakeholders involved in energy policy, grid connection and regulation of the marine and coastal zones. 

Relevant documents released
A full list of publications relevant to the OE sector is available at:
http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Ocean_Energy_Information_Research/Ocean_Energy_Publications/

In 2011, two new documents were released:

• Assessment of Ports and Shipping Requirements for the Marine Renewable Industry Sector
• Industrial Development Potential of Offshore Wind in Ireland (listed because of supply chain relevance) 

Government Funded R&D
SEAI, in partnership with the Marine Institute, continued to operate the wave energy ¼ scale test site in Galway Bay. Work commenced, aimed at enhancing the facility by providing power and bandwidth to the site, in conjunction with the SmartBay initiative, for completion in 2012. 

The OEDU is continuing work on the establishment of a full-scale grid connected wave energy test facility off County Mayo. A foreshore licence was awarded in late 2009 to support the Site Investigation works at the proposed test site location off Annagh Head, Belmullet, County Mayo. This project involves a phased development, from Site Investigation with a Foreshore Licence, to Design and Grid Application, to Planning and Foreshore Lease and finally procurement and construction. It will be connected to the national electricity grid and will provide facilities for the testing of full-scale devices in development by Irish and multi-national companies and will be able to accommodate up to 3 devices at any one time. A grid offer is in place and the lease application has been made. 

Full-scale grid connected wave energy test facility off County Mayo

The SmartBay Pilot Project in Galway Bay, which is supported by the Marine Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is designed to be a research, test and demonstration platform and innovation test bed for new ocean technologies developed by research institutes and companies, e.g. communications, informatics, instrumentation and sensors. The core infrastructure comprises a suite of commercially available technology. This includes a network of buoys, sensor hardware and communications systems against which prototype products or services can be validated. SmartBay embraces the ¼ scale wave test site creating a facility for the coordinated development of OE technology and associated information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities.

Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre in University College Cork is a key ocean energy research facility in Ireland with special interest in ocean energy research and coastal engineering. The group expanded its staff size in 2007 following the allocation of long-term funding of research personnel from the Parson Energy Research awards, administered by Science Foundation Ireland. It is currently upgrading its equipment and facilities with financial support from the OEDU and further major enhancement of the facility as the National Ocean Test Facility is planned, with financial support from the Higher Education Authority, industry and the OEDU.

University of Limerick has been actively pursuing the development of air turbines for use with oscillating water column devices. 

The Electricity Research Centre in University College Dublin has had significant involvement in the integration and the study of management issues for intermittent renewable generators such as wind power systems operating on the national grid. Their interests include modelling of dynamic response of electrical generators and tidal energy systems. 

The Department of Electronic Engineering in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, has a dedicated group working in the areas of hydrodynamic modelling, PTO modelling, impact of wave directionality on WECs, device optimisation, control system design for WECs and resource assessment. is funding two projects through the Commercialisation Fund Programme: grid integration software and services of ocean energy (SEAGRID) and in economic assessment of ocean energy systems, farms and projects (NAVITAS).

Participation in Collaborative International Projects

MaRINET – Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network for Energy Technologies - UCC Coordinated FP7 EU Infrastructures project (28 Partners; €9 million). SEAI, UCC QUB are the Irish Participants. MARINET is a new network of research centres, which aims to accelerate the development of marine renewable energy (wave, tidal & offshore wind), by bringing together world-class testing facilities to offer EU-funded testing and to co-ordinate focussed R&D.

The aim of MARINET is to facilitate testing and to coordinate and advance marine renewables R&D at all scales - from small models and laboratory tests through to prototype scales and open sea tests. Through this EC funding, MARINET offers periods of access, at no cost to users, to test facilities, which are located outside the country where those users work. Users can avail of this access to test and develop their devices and concepts. This enables users to access facilities, which are not available in their home country and may be too expensive to access normally, or are simply inaccessible under national renewables support funding as the desired facilities are located outside the state providing that funding. Access is available to 42 facilities from 28 network partners spread across 11 European Union (EU) countries and 1 international co-operation partner country (Brazil). The initiative runs for four years until 2015, with at least four calls for access applications. For further information see: www.fp7-marinet.eu.

Other international collaborative projects:

CORES - New Components for Ocean Renewable Energy Systems – UCC Coordinated 13 Partners €3.5 million. Demonstrating at sea new systems, components and methods for ocean energy. 

MARINA - Combined wind and wave energy systems. FP7 EU 17 Partners €10 million. UCC Partners. 

ORECCA - Off-shore Renewable Energy Conversion platforms – Coordination Action. EU FP7 UCC Partner. 

SOWFIA - Streamlining Ocean Wave Farms Impact Assessment – Multi-disciplinary multi- partner EU EACI IEE project with objective to develop and improve tools and methods for environmental and social impact assessment of wave farms.

EQUIMAR - Equitable Testing of Marine Renewables. EU FP7, UC Partner. Developing standards, guidelines and protocols for the sector. This work directly feeds IEA OES work and IEC TC114.

IEC TC114 - Ireland has a mirror committee and contributes experts to TC114’s development of standards and guidelines in ocean energy. 

International Smart Ocean Graduate Education Initiative – Ireland has a graduate programme co-funded by members of the SmartOcean group, which has a mix of Irish and International entities. First round of PhDs starting. 

Operational Ocean Energy Projects
Ocean Energy Ltd deployed their ¼ scale device (OE Buoy) for a 6-month period at the Galway Bay Quarter – scale Test Site, as part of the EU-funded CORES project. This project set out to address particular issues resulting from the development of Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converters (OWC WECs). The Hydraulics & Maritime Research Centre (HMRC) coordinated this 13-partner European project. The system was tested successfully at sea in Galway Bay for three months in 2011. This enabled the integration of the resulting real, validated and verified results into a holistic system model, a “Toolbox” for wave-to-wire simulations of complete WEC systems. 
 

OE Ltd ¼ scale device at the Galway Bay Quarter-scale Test Site

New Developments

UCC Beaufort and IMERC: DCENR, IDA, PRTLI SEAIOEDU, UCC and Bord Gais are funding a new building to house the National Ocean Test Facility. This is a €16.5 million cornerstone and flagship facility housed within the Irish Maritime and Energy Research Cluster. IMERC is a joint venture between UCC, the National Maritime College and the Irish Naval Service. 

5 MW Demonstration Project: The WestWave prject aims to develop the first wave energy project in Ireland by 2015 by generating 5 MW of electricity from the plentiful wave energy resource off the west coast of Ireland. WestWave is a collaborative project being led by ESB International (ESBI) in conjunction with a number of wave energy technology partners including Irish technology developers Wavebob and Ocean Energy and Scottish technology developers Aquamarine Power and Pelamis Wave Power. ESB, with support from the Sustainable Authority of Ireland (SEAI), is building upon previous supply chain analyses of marine energy to focus specifically upon the requirements of the WestWave Project. Within this supply chain study, the WestWave project team has assessed, along with four leading technology developers, the requirements to deliver the WestWave project within the timeframe required.