Dutch Marine Energy Centre (DMEC) has launched the Marine Energy Hub – a base for the Dutch marine energy industry that brings together all of the stakeholders under the joint aim of accelerating the development of the marine energy sector.
At the newly launched hub, located at Hellingweg in Scheveningen, the special marine energy exhibition has also been organized to showcase the innovation in the marine energy sector.
Namely, a tidal turbine made by a Dutch company Tocardo will be on display on the quay to draw attention on the potential of marine energy as a sustainable energy source.
Since 2015, five Tocardo tidal turbines have been integrated into the sluice gates of the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier, exploiting the energy from the ebb and flow to supply over 1000 households with clean electricity.
According to the company, the technology is now ready for scale-up, and considering the energy potential in the waters of the Zeeland Province – tidal energy could be used to fully meet the province’s needs for clean energy.
The opening address was deliverd by Liesbeth van Tongeren, alderman for sustainability, environment and energy transition at the Municipality of The Hague.
Van Tongeren said: “Clean energy is the future. Especially in The Hague, our city by the sea. Harvesting the infinite energy from the sea, that’s what DMEC is busy with. This turbine is one of the solutions that works to extract energy from the sea. Especially now that we know that gas from Russia is not a good idea, the sea is emerging as an energy source.”
Britta Schaffmeister, CEO of DMEC, noted: “By placing the tidal turbine in the port of Scheveningen, we draw attention to the potential of marine energy as a sustainable energy source. In addition to wind and solar energy, marine energy also provides electricity when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.
“We therefore cordially invite everyone to come and view the tidal energy turbine in front of our office on the Hellingweg in Scheveningen.”
Andries van Unen, CEO Tocardo, added: “The technology that Tocardo has developed can make a substantial contribution to the transition to the future energy system. We are now showing the tidal turbine in the port of Scheveningen to a large audience, with which we want to show the impact that our technology can make.
“As an example of our showcase project in the Oosterschelde, the turbine symbolizes the possible applications in the future.”
Marine energy is a collective name for technologies that generate energy from oceans, seas and rivers.
As a complementary renewable energy source to wind and solar, marine energy is an important building block in a fully sustainable energy system of the future.
The opening of the Marine Energy Hub is part of the international Marine Energy Conference, which takes place within the framework of the Interreg North Sea Region Ocean Energy Scale-Up Alliance (OESA) project, whose aim is to help the scale-up of marine energy technology.
