Almost 20 years after the UK’s first wave energy innovation programme came to an end in the 1980s, a new programme to accelerate the development of wave energy technology was launched. It was believed that wave energy could play a central role in helping to deliver a low-carbon, secure and affordable energy system, as well as provide an important boost to the UK economy through the growth of a new domestic industry. However, despite almost £200m of public funds being invested in UK wave energy innovation since 2000, wave energy technology remains some distance away from commercialisation. Consequently, this report examines the extent to which the failure to deliver a commercially viable wave energy device can be attributed to weaknesses in both government and industry’s support for wave energy innovation in the UK.
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