Renewable Energies Crash Course
The aim of the Renewable Energies Crash Course was to advance the exposure of the emerging marine energy sector to those working in parallel or similar work streams in order to build the awareness and knowledge of this sector and ultimately to ensure that the skills requirements for this growing sector are met.
The specific purpose of this Pilot Experience was to instruct participants in the fundamental principles of the marine energy sector including technical, financial, business and environmental aspects within a European context. There is a great opportunity for Europe to be at the forefront of this growing industry, and in order to do so, there is a requirement for greater knowledge on the mechanisms by which successful marine energy projects are built. The course feeds into Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for individuals who are working within the maritime sector but are not well educated in the marine energy sector. Download the course leaflet here.
Target Audience
The course was aimed at those who have some basic knowledge of working in a marine or maritime industry. Participant information retrieved through registration enabled Aquatera to tailor the course for participants’ level of experience.
Methodology
The course was conducted over six sessions. Each three-hour session focused on one area or aspect of marine energy. Participants were limited in number to allow for discussion and group activities.
The Renewable Energies Crash Course was developed by the Aquatera team who have the unique experience of working in the marine renewable energy industry around the world and with experience in all four aspects of this industry as mentioned above. This was done in consultation with the Thematic Experts of the Offshore Energy and Activities Thematic Group and others as appropriate.
Over the last 19 years of activity, Aquatera has established a global reputation as one of the leading consultancies in the ocean energy sector. Aquatera is one of the most experienced marine energy environmental and technical contractors in the world; having worked on over 250 marine energy studies and several strategic marine energy planning projects. Aquatera’s client base includes leading marine technology and project developers, utilities, agencies and governments. Aquatera is based in Orkney at the heart of the emerging wave and tidal industry and our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that the opportunities associated with wave and tidal energy development are fully exploited and that this development takes place to the highest standards of environmental stewardship. Core members of the Aquatera team are also based in Wales, Singapore, Philippines, London, Ireland and Tenerife. The team has key experience across all aspects of marine renewable energy development from initial site selection including consenting and licencing to project development and market analysis. This experience has been developed within the UK but also across the globe, making Aquatera one of the foremost marine energy consultancies internationally.
This Pilot Experience was developed directly by people who have significant levels of direct experience in all aspects of marine energy projects, from the supply chain, to business management, project development and environmental consenting. In this way, this Pilot Experience brought innovation to the addressing of skills gaps in the European offshore renewable sector. This course focused on the skills required for commercial success in the Offshore Renewable Energy industry, as identified by experts in the industry working in the UK and throughout the world (e.g. Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia and South East Asia).
This course was developed specifically to address the Lines of Action as identified in WP 1 & 2 and prioritised by experts in WP 3. There are further details of this in the detailed plan for this Pilot Experience.
Topics
This course presented marine energy fundamentals, available opportunities and skillsets required within the wave and tidal sector. It covered the key requirements of building a commercial marine energy project, including technologies, business development, the policy framework and environmental consenting. It also examined the developing technologies that will impact the skills requirements in this sector such as smart grid and smart sensors, big data and energy storage.
MATES ‘Strategy Baseline Report’ Lines Of Actions being addressed
The MATES Strategy Baseline report consists of results which were obtained from the extensive work carried out by the MATES partners; workshops with experts, Delphi questionnaires, desk-top studies and surveys. This report synthesises the MATES strategy baseline to bridge the skills gap between training offers and the industry demands in the Maritime Technologies value chain. The full report can be accessed here. Below are the Lines of Actions identified in the report (see pages 17 and 18) which the Renewable Energies Crash Course addressed (ORE = offshore renewable energies):
- ORE2: Energy storage
- ORE3: Synergies among sectors with significant similarities
- ORE4: Skills diversification from parallel sectors
- ORE5: Mutil-disciplinary skills outputs of specialisation
- ORE8: Skills that are not yet standardised
- ORE10: 21st Century skills
- ORE11: Ocean literacy
- ORE12: Promoting STEM women in ORE