Currents, waves and water quality in the Pentland Firth
Weigh Inn Hotel, Thurso KW14 7UG
2-3 June 2014
The Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands – with the support of CENSIS, the Innovation Centre for Sensor and Imaging Systems – invites you to a workshop is to identify opportunities within the renewable energy sector that require sensor technology solutions.
The event is FREE to attend and includes dinner, bed and breakfast on 2 June, and all lunches and refreshments served as part of the workshop on 2/3 June.
Environmental Research Institute
Based in Caithness, Sutherland, UHI’s Environmental Research Institute is surrounded by world-class natural resources. While many environmental research establishments have one great natural resource in their backyard, ERI boasts three – the Pentland Firth, the Flow Country (a proposed UNESCO World Heritage site), and the rivers Wick and Thurso.
With water flow rates of up to three million tons per second, the Pentland Firth fills and drains the North Sea twice a day, making this part of Scotland an international focus for marine and tidal wave energy research. This unique location allows ERI to offer unrivalled environmental research and testing opportunities: its researchers have significant and rich experience in renewable and environmental fields, with partnerships within hydrogen, biomass, waste and renewable energy, and marine renewables.
The Institute boasts state of the art facilities and expertise in water quality, microscopy (including Scanning Electron Microscopy), wildlife and aquaculture surveying and monitoring resource assessment, and sediment and soils. Read more about ERI’s capabilities.
About the Event
The workshop will tie together related discussions, scope out areas of need, and trigger follow-up conversations around project development and potential CENSIS support, while offering delegates the opportunity to find out more about the capabilities, strengths, and facilities available at ERI and UHI.
Target Audience
This event will be of most interest to companies, public sector organisations and researchers with an interest in the marine renewables sector and innovative sensor technology in the marine environment. The event is not designed for current PhD students.
Provisional Programme
Facilitator: Steve Earl, RenewNet (www.renewnet.org.uk)
As the first area in the UK to be made available for commercial-scale development of wave and tidal energy, the event will focus on the Pentland Firth.
| Monday 2 June | |
| 12:15 – 13:15 | Lunch |
| 13:15 – 14:45 | Welcome and Introductions (Steve Earl, RenewNet) |
| CENSIS, the Innovation Centre for Sensor and Imaging Systems (Duncan Bremner, CENSIS) | |
| The challenges of the regulator (3 presentations) | |
| The challenges of the marine renewable industry ( 3 presentations) | |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Coffee |
| 15:00 – 16:15 | Why measurement is important (Prof. Ian Bryden, UHI) |
| Additional presentations from industry and academia (6 x 10 minute presentations TBC) | |
| 16:15 – 17:15 | Group discussion |
| Brainstorm: Identification of opportunities | |
| Ranking and rating of projects | |
| 17:15 – 18:15 | Break into interested teams |
| 19:00 | Dinner |
| Tuesday 3 June | |
| 8:30 – 8:45 | Regroup, refresh |
| 8:45 – 9:00 | Technology Strategy Board – Renewable opportunities |
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Outline of potential collaborative projects between partners |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Coffee |
| 10:15 – 11:15 | Presentation and project Q&A |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | Wrap-up / identification of follow-up conversations, Prof. Ian Bryden |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Close-out & follow-up actions |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
Information & Registration
This event is free to attend and includes dinner, B&B on 2 June at the Weigh Inn Hotel, and all refreshments served as part of the workshop on 2/3 June. Delegates will be expected to cover their own travel costs, and any accommodation and expenses other than those provided as part of the event.
Please visit ERI’s workshop website to find out more, and register your interest.
Please note that places are limited to 35 for this event, and early registration is advised.