EMEC lead on US ocean energy project review

EMEC and the United States have strengthened their international collaboration by adding ocean energy expertise into the 2019 Project Peer Review Report.

The 2019 Peer Review was conducted by a review panel coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Water Power Technologies (WPTO) who focus on research and development efforts to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative technologies for clean power generation from resources including hydropower, waves, and tides.

Elaine Buck, technical manager at the EMEC acted as chair for the MHK Peer Review program and lead technical reviewer.

“It was an honor to chair the MHK Peer Review and share learnings from EMEC’s 17 years’ experience in R&D testing. The model program of peer review should be adapted and followed in European projects which support joint strategic direction of ocean energy developments. International collaboration and sharing lessons learned is vital to the US project peer review process and contributes to the success of a global marine energy industry.”

Elaine Buck, technical manager EMEC.

Projects were reviewed against set criteria spanning specific activity areas including foundational R&D, technology design and validation, reducing barriers to testing and data sharing.

“As the MHK Chair for the 2019 WPTO Peer Review, Elaine Buck led a panel of twelve subject matter experts in reviewing the DOE marine energy R&D strategy and 41 individual projects.

“Elaine, with her expertise in marine energy and knowledge of the sectors in both Europe and North America, was invaluable to the review of our program. The WPTO team is deeply grateful for the significant time and energy Elaine dedicated to this review.

“We also appreciate the important collaboration we have with EMEC, especially their advisory support for the PacWave facility under development. We know the marine energy community will benefit for years to come thanks to Elaine’s efforts and our enduring partnership with EMEC.”

Alejandro Moreno, director of the Water Power Technologies Office.

Conducted every two years, the Project Peer Review is a key tool offering a holistic understanding of where US research and development efforts are being focused.