Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Power From the Sea
Investment Boost For Ireland’s Renewable Energy Sector Under Innovation Strategy
Seven renewable energy projects are benefitting from a significant funding injection following investment by the Marine Institute’s industry-led awards, as reported last month on Afloat.ie. With the aim of driving innovation in the marine sector and accelerating renewable energy breakthroughs,…
Tidal kites like these have been tested in the optimum conditions of Strangford Lough over the last few years
#SeaPower - Northern Ireland is well placed to capitalise on the growing trend towards renewable energy thanks to its unique tidal resources, according to a leading researcher in the field. Dr Carwyn Frost of Queen’s University Belfast tells Emily McDaid…
ACT Blade uses technology developed by AMAR Azure for its racing yacht sails
#SeaPower - Edinburgh-based ACT Blade has designed a textile blade for wind turbines that could increase energy production by nearly 10%. The company, an offshoot of racing yacht sail specialist AMAR Azure, designed the blade as part of the Offshore…
Yesterday’s launch of the ROV Étaín at Limerick city docks
#SeaPower - The University of Limerick (UL) has unveiled a unique €2 million underwater robot adapted to inspect, repair and maintain marine renewable energy (MRE) facilities. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) through its Research Infrastructure Programme, the ROV Étaín can…
The SR2000 tidal turbine during assembly at the H&W shipyard in Belfast last year
#SeaPower - A Scottish tidal energy company is launching a new round of funding to commericalise its developments in Orkney, as HydroWorld reports. Scotrenewables has appointed Aberdeen-based financial advisors Simmons & Company International to lead the investment process after successful…
Still from a time lapse video showing one of the massive turbine blades on Galway's dockside last winter
#Windfarm - Giant wind turbine blades seen in Galway Harbour last winter are now in operation in Connemara as part of Ireland’s biggest ever windfarm project. According to the Connacht Tribune, the Galway Wind Park between Galway Bay and Lough Corrib…
The Hywind Scotland floating windfarm off Peterhead
#Windfarm - The world’s first floating windfarm is now generating power for Scotland, according to BBC News. Afloat.ie previously covered the Hywind Scotland project, backed by Norwegian energy giant Statoil, which comprises a series of giant wind turbines tethered to…
#powerfromthesea - Harland and Wolff, the former giant of shipbuilding in Belfast is meeting demands from new contracts and is currently hiring a range of staff, it has emerged. As the Belfast Telegraph writes, the marine and engineering firm is…
Marine Notice: Spiddal Wave Energy Test Site Decommissioning Works
#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises of the decommissioning of the wave energy test site in Galway Bay. The decommissioning of the Marine Institute's wave energy site will involve the removal…
Lir National Ocean Test facility is key to the development of Ireland’s offshore renewable energy industry. Incorporated in the MaREI Centre and located in the €20.5m purpose-built Beaufort Building, Lir provides world class testing capacity together with the most experienced…
A 3D computer model of GKinetic’s hydrokinetic turbine device
#SeaPower - A prototype tidal energy turbine project in the Shannon Estuary has received almost €100,000 in funding for further development, as the Limerick Post reports. GKinetic has been testing a scale prototype of its new hydrokinetic turbine for the…
The buoy will be a stepping stone between tank testing and more exposed open sea sites
The Irish Wave Energy Developers Association (IWEDA) has deployed a Wave Rider data buoy in Blacksod Bay as a first step toward establishing a Wave Energy Test site at a location near Blacksod pier on the Erris peninsula, Co Mayo.…
New contract for H&W in offshore renewables sector secures 80 jobs
#NewContract - A new contract for Harland & Wolff is to provide parts for an off-shore windfarm off the coast of Germany — supporting 80 jobs. The Belfast Telegraph writes that the firm has been chosen by jacket foundation supplier…
The prototype wave energy device at the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site
An Irish-designed device to generate electricity from ocean wave power is another step closer to breaking into the massive potential on offer in the ocean energy market. Irish company, Sea Power Ltd., has concluded the winter survivability testing programme of…
The first low-velocity tidal energy project in the world is of a commercial power plant array installed in Holyhead Deep off north-west Wales. Holyhead Deep is the name of a large depression in the seabed, located west of the the South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey where the ferryport of Holyhead is owned by Stena Line. They and Minesto are joint owners of the offshore energy project.
#HolyheadDeep -  Two Swedish-based companies have engaged in a joint project to invest in Wales’ transition to renewable energy. Minesto and Stena Line will build an assembly hall in the Port of Holyhead, which Minesto will utilise in their upcoming…
Patrick Gougeon new CEO of OpenHydro
OpenHydro, the Irish based tidal energy company and part of DCNS Energies, has appointed Mr Patrick Gougeon as their new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment signals the company’s ongoing drive towards commercialisation of its tidal technology and follows the launch…