The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and Italy-based Enel Green Power SpA (EGP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to encourage knowledge sharing in marine-energy technology development.

The two parties shared their goals and their experience in marine energy during a workshop at the beginning of September at the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC) in Naples.

The partnership will address a gap in independent marine-energy testing against international standards, the development of which would increase credibility and trust in the sector.

Sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, EMEC and EGP will give both public and private investors increased confidence in the industry and thereby encourage investment in marine renewable energy.

EMEC supports the testing, demonstration and assessment of wave and tidal energy technologies by providing test sites suitable for both early-stage sea deployments and full-scale grid-connected trials.

EGP (www.enelgreenpower.com) is the global renewables division of the Enel Group, which is Europe’s largest utility.

It is at the forefront in promoting innovation in green energy, including exploring applications for wave and marine energy technologies.

Rob Flynn, EMEC’s international development manager (www.emec.org.uk), said: “EMEC is very happy to collaborate with EGP on supporting marine energy development.

This project will help us learn from each other and drive the marine energy sector forward.”