Engineering news
An American tidal power company has announced plans to establish operations in Scotland.
ResHydro, a clean technology firm, said it plans to establish a base in Scotland where it will develop its hydrokinetic energy generation system. The device requires further research and development to take it closer to commercialisation.
The company will be supported by a £100,000 award from Scottish Enterprise and will work in partnership with the University of Strathclyde.
First Minister Alex Salmond, who is in the US for Scotland Week celebrations, said the decision showed the country is “leading the way” in developing marine renewables technology.
He said: “Scotland has an incredible wealth of energy resources and is leading the way in the development of marine renewables technology.
“ResHydro's decision to invest in Scotland and work in partnership with one of our leading universities to further their research and development plans is testament to that.
“Scotland has hit the natural lottery twice, first with oil and gas and then with our green energy resources.
“We have astounding green energy potential and this government has a responsibility to make sure Scotland capitalises on the vast economic opportunities the industry presents.”
Anne MacColl, chief executive of Scottish Development International, Scottish Enterprise's international development arm, said: “Scotland is already punching well above its weight when it comes to attracting high quality inward investment, and ResHydro's decision to locate here is testament to this continued success.
“Wave and tidal energy is an exciting area of development, where Scotland is already demonstrating world-leading technologies and generating international interest.”
Samuel Lewinter, chief executive of ResHydro, said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to open our Scottish subsidiary where we will have access to significant technical expertise and where market conditions will contribute to the most expeditious commercialisation of our technology.”
The move was also welcomed by environmental groups. Lang Banks, WWF Scotland director, added: “This is a great vote of confidence in Scotland's clean energy future and a valuable opportunity to develop approaches that could help cut the cost of deploying marine renewables.
“There is a massive amount of power in our seas and Scotland is well placed to lead in developing the technologies to turn this potential into clean, green electricity.
“Alongside energy saving measures, marine renewables will have a critical role to play in helping Scotland reduce climate emissions as we phase out polluting fossil fuels and nuclear power.
“With careful planning we can harness Scotland's huge wave and tidal energy to help cut our climate emissions, while safeguarding the nation's tremendous marine environment.”