New study claims UK should target 27GW of wave energy

The study looked at the availability of renewable resources across the British Isles. To reach net zero by 2050, the LUT researchers concluded that the UK requires multiple technologies, including storage, sector coupling and demand side flexibility. Underpinning this system will be a broad mix of renewables, driven largely by wind and solar, but with the most efficient scenario also featuring 27GW of wave energy. The work was published in IET Renewable Generation.  

“Wave power has a high potential globally, in Europe and in particular along the Atlantic coasts in the UK and Ireland,” said research lead Christian Breyer, Professor for Solar Economy at LUT University.

“For the first time we could show the high economic attractiveness of wave power for the entire energy system, which has to be now enabled with the right general framework for wave power.”

Despite the LUT report, the pathway to 27GW of wave energy remains unclear, with many technologies still at the demonstrator phase. Over the medium term, the Marine Energy Council has set a target to deploy 300MW off the coast of the UK by 2035, with a view to then ramping up rollout massively over the following 15 years to 2050.