Sir, – Patrick Duffy (Letters, October 10th) summarises Ireland’s efforts to develop wave energy in the 2000s.
While Ireland’s focus on wave has waned, other jurisdictions remain strongly committed. The US is funding multiple prototypes, with US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm recently describing wave energy as “the elixir we need”. The EU has set deployment targets to industrialise wave and tidal energy. Closer to home, the Scottish and Basque governments are supporting national champions and have set up a programme with the European Commission to jointly develop the technology.
These authorities are backing wave energy because they see its potential.
They are busy carving out lucrative niches in a future global supply chain.
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Ireland will benefit massively from wave: it will complement offshore wind to deliver a more stable energy supply. But with a focused plan and smart use of EU funding, Ireland can also reap the wider economic benefits of wave energy. – Yours, etc,
DONAGH CAGNEY,
Policy Director,
Ocean Energy Europe,
Brussels.
