Energy Watcher | Renewable Energy Blog

The Scottish Government this week announced details of The Saltire Prize, in which it hopes to draw inspiration from the 20th century great innovation prizes in aviation that led to the first crossings of the English Channel and the Atlantic and the Ansari X Prize that led to the first private spacecraft launch.

The Saltire Prize is offering a £10m award to the first group of wave power scientists who can demonstrate a commercially viable wave or tidal energy system in Scottish waters. The competition is to be judged by the folowing criteria:

£10 million will be awarded to the team that can demonstrate in Scottish waters a commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology that achieves a minimum electrical output of 100GWh over a continuous 2 year period using only the power of the sea and is judged to be the best overall technology after consideration of cost, environmental sustainability and safety.

There is good reason for Scotlands politicians to try and promote the potential of wave energy – Scotland holds a quarter of the wave power potential of the Europe.