SY Rainbow Warrior
Greenpeace is today bringing to Edinburgh a unique collaboration with Scottish wave power companies to promote and maintain Scotland's place as a world leader in wave power. Following successful events in Glasgow, Islay and Aberdeen, highlighting how skills and expertise in marine industries and heavy engineering can be transferred to wave power, the Rainbow Warrior is on a 2-day visit to Edinburgh to bring the message that 'wave power works' to Scotland's political heart.
Scotland already has the world's most innovative wave power companies, one of the world's best wave climates and some of the world's leading wave research scientists.
Greenpeace is helping Inverness based company Wavegen and Edinburgh based Ocean Power Delivery, to lobby for the greater uptake of wave energy. Wavegen is installing the first commercial wave machine, the 'Limpet', on Islay this summer and Ocean Power Delivery is installing the first 'Pelamis' or sea snake on Islay in 2001.
Greenpeace renewable energy campaigner Nick Milton said, "Greenpeace has been working with Wavegen and Ocean Power Delivery to show that wave power could be a new world class industry for Scotland and create jobs for Scottish people."
A team of renewable energy experts from Greenpeace has been on Islay for the last month carrying out a survey of the seabed to help optimise the efficiency of the Limpet machine and survey the site where the Pelamis is due to be installed. Greenpeace have also been touring Scotland with the Rainbow Warrior to promote the message that 'wave power works' and have held business conferences in Aberdeen, Islay, the birth place of wave energy, and Glasgow with Wavegen andOcean Power Delivery. The conferences have been attended by leading companies, research establishments and politicians from across Scotland.
Commenting on Greenpeace's wave energy iniative, Allan Thomson, Managing Director of Wavegen said, "the Greenpeace Business conferences have helped to raise the profile of this important new industry. Investors are increasingly seeing wave as a sound business investment in a promising new industrial sector. Contact between Wavegen and Greenpeace has shown promise and we look forward to working together in the future to promote this exciting new technology."
Dr Richard Yemm, the Director of Ocean Power Delivery said " We are delighted that Greenpeace are working with us to help install the first Pelamis device in 2001. The work they are doing with us is a side of Greenpeace not enough people see."
Greenpeace's support for Wavegen and Ocean Power Delivery will be ongoing. Following the tour Greenpeace and the companies will continue to work together lobbying a variety of interests, including MSPs, to ensure Scotland achieves the full economic benefits of wave energy.
George Lyon, MSP for Argyll and Bute, whose constituency includes the island of Islay added his support to the collaboration. "The Islay community has embraced wave power as part of a vision for sustainable economic development as well as for its environmental benefits. I'd like to see the Scottish Parliament create a national vision for a world-beating wave power industry exploiting to the full Scotland'sphysical, entrepreneurial and industrial resources in wave power."
"With strong political and public support Scotland will remain a world leader in wave power but unless the new Scottish Parliament moves quickly, jobs and new markets opening up in wave power could end up going to competitors abroad," Milton added.
Further information:
Contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255/6/7/8.
