Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has indicated that some of the "best minds in the world" have expressed interest in the £10 million prize being offered by the Scottish government for developers of a groundbreaking wave or tidal power technology.
Salmond revealed yesterday that 33 organisations have registered interest in the Saltire Prize so far, from five different continents. "Since we unveiled the details of the Saltire Prize challenge at the beginning of December, 33 declarations of interest have been registered from some of the great companies and best minds in the world, all seeking to come and develop their new energy devices and inventions here in Scotland," said Salmond. He said interest came from across the world, including America, Mexico, India, France, Norway, Spain and the UK, but did not disclose further details. The £10m award will go to the team that can best demonstrate, in Scottish waters, "a commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology that achieves a minimum electrical output of 100GWh over a continuous two-year period using only the power of the sea". The government has highlighted a number of marine energy companies that are setting up in Scotland within introductory material on the Saltire Prize. These included The Bobber Company, developers of the "Manchester Bobber", a floating platform that bobs up and down in waves to generate power, which is to be tested at the European Marine Energy Centre in the Orkneys. Also highlighted were Fred Olsen Renewables, which is now looking for a test site in Scotland for a platform device, since Cornwall's Wave Hub testing facility has been delayed and downsized.
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