Scotland introduces £10-million tidal power innovation award

03 December 2008

Scotland will award the £10-million Saltire Prize to any team that successfully demonstrates in Scottish waters the best commercially viable wave or tidal technology capable of providing electricity to thousands of homes.

The Saltire Prize will be awarded to the team that can demonstrate  a commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology that achieves a minimum electrical output of 100 GWh over a continuous two 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.

Entries will be open from Summer 2009 and closed by June 2013.

Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond will host a reception at Edinburgh Castle for an audience of leading scientists, environmentalists and potential entrants to the competition, where the much-anticipated details of the challenge will be revealed.

The international experts on the Saltire Prize Challenge Committee met earlier today and framed the terms of the world's largest single prize for renewable marine energy development.

The international committee includes Dr Rajendra Kumar Pachauri highlighting the importance of collaboration between Scotland and India in the field environmental sciences.