Wave & Tidal Energy

The UK is currently the undisputed global leader in marine energy, with more wave and tidal stream devices installed than the rest of the world combined.

This leading position is built on an established marine engineering heritage. The UK has created ground-breaking testing facilities, and the best marine energy resource in Europe. It has the potential to deliver up 60GW of electricity, 75 per cent of the UK’s current needs.

Commercial viability is just around the corner and the UK is well placed to capture a significant share of the global market, forecast to be worth £50 billion by 2050.

Recent focus has been on proving the technology works and reducing costs through the operation of demonstration devices. The UK is now set to lead the world into the next phase by installing the first wave and tidal energy farms, known as arrays – a complex engineering challenge.

While the current installed capacity is fairly modest at almost 9 megawatts (MW), the industry is on track to deliver over 120MW by 2020 – making a meaningful contribution to the UK’s energy mix.

Wave and tidal stream energy technology will help decarbonise our energy supply; increase energy security and reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.It is set to employ 20,000 people from 2035 and contribute towards continued economic prosperity as we export our skills, services and products.