A set of best practice guidleines for the marine energy industry has ben drawn up by the European Marine Energy Centre and will be launched next week at the BWEA Wave and Tidal 09 exhibition in Bath. According to a statement released today (20th April), the guidelines cover everything from the way energy in waves or tidal currents is measured to the design of wave and tidal energy devices, their deployment at sea and eventual decommissioning.

"It's been a huge task, with the guidelines and draft standards written by experts in their particular field," said EMEC technical director John Griffiths. "But we were able to call on the talents of 150 people from across the industry who provided enormous energy, enthusiasm and support at the workshops where this project was developed."

The EMEC initiative was supported with funding worth around £400,000 from the Scottish Government and the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The aim was to agree draft standards and guidelines that are useful, relevant and authoritative and cover all aspects of the new and rapidly evolving marine energy industry.

"All industries, everything from agriculture to aviation, operate to a set of agreed standards and we saw it as vital that similar guidelines are in place for the new marine energy industry", explained Griffiths. "We've looked at everything a developer needs to consider when creating and using a marine energy device and we're encouraging everyone across the industry to follow the new guidelines.

"We believe they will help underpin the future development of wave and tidal technologies, so we were delighted to be given the opportunity to lead this important task."

Among the topics covered, the new guidelines provide a means to assess the energy potential of the marine environment and offer a blueprint in how to calculate the performance of wave and tidal energy machines.

Others give developers a way to assess the reliability and maintainability of their devices, and their ability to survive in harsh sea conditions.

"There are many challenges still to be overcome before we arrive at wave and tidal technologies that can generate electricity on a truly commercial scale," said Griffiths. "These guidelines provide a means to compare the capabilities of the many technologies currently under development, whether they are operating in Scottish waters or in a tide race off New Zealand."

Written and developed under EMEC's leadership, they are being published by BSI British Standards, the UK's national standards organisation.

Mike Low, director of BSI British Standards, said: "We are pleased to be the official publisher of the EMEC guidelines.

"This new guidance from EMEC aligns with other publications developed by BSI. These include a new energy management standard, expected to be published this summer, that could help organisations improve energy efficiency and reduce their costs."

It is hoped that some of the EMEC guidelines will develop into agreed standards for the marine energy industry, both in the UK and internationally.