MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Despite all of our investment in the clean energy transition so far . . .
"A billion people still live without electricity. Hundreds of millions more live with unreliable or expensive power, which poses a key barrier to economic development in emerging economies."
The World Bank, Article:"Access to Energy is at the Heart of Development"
OUR VISION
. . . easier said than done
70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. And each cubic metre of all this water weighs one ton.
So when gravity causes all of this water to move predictably every every day and night, a vast source of renewable energy is created. Early technology developers succeeded in generating electricity from tides and rivers, but the challenge has been to do this reliably and cost-effectively.
MaRen is leading the way in developing marine renewable energy solutions for communities and businesses.
By “right-sizing” our turbines and optimising them to operate in slow flowing water - the vast majority of sites around the world - our vision is for energy from the ocean to broaden and improve the energy mix wherever there is flowing water.
Douglas Hunt, CEO of Marine Renewable Energy Solutions
"The energy potential in flowing water has been hiding in plain sight all this time. Now with advances in technology, we can cost-effectively tap into this predictable source energy no matter the time of day or the weather - to empower communities and further reduce reliance on fossil fuels."
OUR DESIGN DNA
. . . "right sizing" and obsession with design for purpose
Economies of scale can mean very different things in different industries. The wind turbine industry is following a pathway of developing ever larger individual units to drive down electricity production costs. The Solar PV industry long ago settled upon an optimal size of a solar panel - based on the physical attributes of a human installer - and has focused on mass production of these units to drive down costs.
In the marine environment, very large turbines require very large and specialised equipment - often sourced from the oil & gas industry. Heavy lift ships, complex sub-sea operations are very expensive and increase the cost of electricity. Marine Renewable Energy Solutions have followed the lead of the solar PV industry by "right sizing" our turbines (to fit in the bed of a standard utility vehicle, be installed with small tender boats or barges and lifted in place with davit cranes). Staying within these engineering constraints, significantly reduces the overall cost of electricity from MaRen Turbines.
In addition, considerable design time has been spent to allow for the local manufacture of components which promotes employment and reduces shipping costs plus allows for local semi-skilled labour to perform all maintenance tasks. No specialists need fly-in then fly-out again.
By building to an appropriate scale and promoting local content, MaRen reduces costs and provides lasting benefits of training in marine operations and mechanical/electrical engineering. Saving costs and further empowering the communities we serve.
"Marine Renewable Energy Solutions has been established following a restructuring of the MAKO Turbines and Altum Green Energy businesses and we will continue to design individual turbines at a size which enables local fabrication, shipping and assembly, as well as focusing on designs which will reduce the time and costs of maintenance out in the field in future.
This is in our engineering "DNA" and is the key to cost-effective tidal energy."
Jarrod Sinclair, Technical Director at Marine Renewable Energy Solutions
OUR CUSTOMERS AND PROJECTS
. . . "empowerment" means so much more than just delivering predictable renewable electricity
Reliable electricity supply is something that is taken for granted in many parts of the world - but for others, the reality is diesel/oil generators which are polluting and expensive. According to BP Energy's Statistical Review of World Energy, some 60 Bn litres of diesel/oil are consumed to produce electricity in the Asia Pacific Region yearly.
Our launch customers are on the 2,000 inhabited islands in the Philippines, 6,000 in Indonesia or areas in developed regions which are not connected to a central grid. In these locations, the lack of reliable and affordable electricity slows economic growth yet solar PV is restricted by persistent haze & rain clouds and wind resources are limited close to the equator. Here Marine Renewable Energy Solutions can build a profitable business which will also truly empower our customers - bringing much more than just cost-effective clean energy.
Businesses need affordable energy, tourism needs air-conditioning, schools need lighting, communities need street lighing, hospitals need refrigeration. Access to affordable electricity unlocks the potential in a community - tapping into a vast nearby energy source, the flowing water in tides, currents, rivers and canals.
We are initially focused on projects in the Philippines as well as regional Australia. We have agreements in place with Government bodies, manufacturers and distributors, and look forward to announcing details of the first roll out of our turnkey solutions, integrating with existing minigrids, to broaden and improve the energy mix wherever there is flowing water.
