PROFITING FROM SCIENCE WWW.MATRIX-NI.ORG MATRIX Report: Vol 10. February 2013 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY HORIZON PANEL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Prepared for MATRIX by: MATRIX SUSTAINABLE ENERGY HORIZON PANEL MEMBERS Aaron Black – South West College John Kinney – Cleanfields Technologies Ltd. Paul Brewster – Pure Marine Sam McCloskey – Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy Denzil Conn – Northern Ireland Electricity Clifford McSpadden – CMS Global Ltd. Joe Corbett – Mainstream Renewable Power Clare Passmore – Clear Spirit Design Ltd Bjorn Elsaesser – Queen’s University Belfast Garry Staunton – Technology Strategy Board Michael Harnett – Bioil Ltd. Neil Stewart – Glen Dimplex Philip Johnson – Delta Carbon David Surplus – The B9 Energy Group (Chair) Chris Johnston – AFBI IMPORTANT NOTICE Whilst reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that the information contained within this Report is correct, you should be aware that the information contained within it may be incomplete, inaccurate or may have become out of date. Accordingly, the MATRIX SEHP makes no warranties or representations of any kind as to the content of this Report or its accuracy and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, accept no liability whatsoever for the same including, without limit, for direct, indirect or consequential loss, business interruption, loss of profits, production, contracts, goodwill or anticipated savings. Any person making use of this Report does so at their own risk. Page 2 PROFITING FROM SCIENCE WWW.matrix-ni.org CHAIR’S FOREWORD global energy market oPPortunitieS, delivered by Science. Ireland to take a leadership role in the I would like to thank the panel for development of distributed energy their intensive work over the past six solutions and their integration into months and everyone who participated Intelligent Energy Systems through in the compilation of this report. I establishing itself as an International also acknowledge the work of Orion Reference Site to demonstrate Innovations who assisted at all stages the commercial scalability of these in the publication of the sustainable solutions to the global market, which energy report. is estimated to be worth £8 billion in 2018. Capturing just a small portion of this market opportunity will represent significant economic benefit to the David Surplus region in terms of job creation, inward Chair – MATRIX Sustainable Energy investment, increased R&D activity and Horizon Panel wealth generation. The development of an Intelligent Today, the convergence of a wide Energy System can not only provide number of political, economic, social significant export opportunities and environmental forces is driving the for Northern Irish businesses, it development of new technologies to can simultaneously address the serve the global energy markets. As challenges facing the existing electricity a result, small, innovative companies infrastructure in Northern Ireland and — either on their own or through improve the sustainability, security partnerships with large, established and affordability of the regional energy energy corporations — are generating supply. competitive solutions to address some of the most pressing issues society is The recommendations contained in the facing. report have been driven by our vision that within 10 years Northern Ireland There is a huge potential for companies will be an internationally recognised in Northern Ireland to tap into these exporter of global solutions forged from markets and last year the DETI Minister the development of the lowest cost, tasked MATRIX with identifying how sustainable energy infrastructure in to grow the Northern Ireland economy Europe. through the development of sustainable energy technologies. I was honoured To help make this a reality we have to be asked by my peers to chair the taken steps to establish an ongoing MATRIX Sustainable Energy Horizon Delivery Team comprised of industry, Panel whose aim was to assess the academic and government parties that current capability of the sustainable will work together towards ensuring the energy technology sector in Northern recommendations are implemented. Ireland and identify the medium to long This group will provide joined up advice term global opportunities in this market to policy makers in order to remove which local companies can exploit. anticipated barriers and will also make appropriate suggestions for possible This report is the result of the work topics of future R&D funding calls. of the panel which has identified a compelling opportunity for Northern PROFITING FROM SCIENCE WWW.matrix-ni.org Page 3 INTRODUCTION MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Vision is that Northern Ireland should be This report summarises the culmination Industry Panel, is an expert advisory ‘led by business; inspired by academia; of those efforts and is accompanied by panel reporting to the Department and facilitated by Government’.1 four detailed documents’: of Enterprise, Trade and Investment DETI and MATRIX previously identified • Sustainable Energy Horizon Panel (DETI) and the DETI Minister on the commercial opportunities associated Report; matters pertinent to the exploitation with sustainable energy technology and commercialisation of science, • Annex 1 Literature Review Insights markets as substantial in scope and technology and R&D. It is led by Report; likely to grow significantly in the coming high-technology and R&D intensive decades, as worldwide demand for • Annex 2 Technology Capability industry experts and advises the lower-carbon technologies increases. Assessment; Northern Ireland Executive on the The MATRIX Sustainable Energy development of improved interfaces • Annex 3 Market Foresight Report. Horizon Panel (SEHP) was established between Northern Ireland business and to build on the existing base load of the research, science and technology intelligence, and extrapolate forward base, with a view to ensuring that the to identify attractive global market region’s science and R&D strengths opportunities that could be realised by are exploited for maximum economic exploiting Northern Ireland’s science, and commercial advantage. The panel’s research and technology capabilities. THE MATRIX SUSTAINABLE ENERGY HORIZON PANEL HAS DEFINED THE FOLLOWING VISION STATEMENT: Within 10 years Northern Ireland will be an internationally recognised exporter of global solutions forged from the development of the lowest cost sustainable energy infrastructure in Europe: • Created by thriving, indigenous businesses; • Exploiting the regions natural, intellectual and entrepreneurial capital. Directly driven by this Vision, this report global relevance, demonstrating their These are based on exploiting regional makes the case for the exploitation commercial scalability, and establishing competitive advantage to address of a significant future global market the profile of Northern Ireland as a multiple strategic objectives relating opportunity for Northern Ireland leading and credible International to economic, energy and sustainability based around the development and Reference Site. priorities, whilst ensuring alignment of export of Intelligent Energy Systems key stakeholder needs and minimising The Vision is underpinned by a number and associated know-how. This the cost to the customer. of key assumptions which have directly will be achieved through the early informed the development of the regional deployment of integrated and MATRIX SEHP Recommendations. sustainable energy solutions that have 1 http://www.matrix-ni.org. PAGE 4 PROFITING FROM SCIENCE WWW.MATRIX-NI.ORG CURRENT REGIONAL TECHNICAL CAPABILITY An analysis of existing regional few large, international corporate and skills provision. In future, the capability in the sustainable energy entities active within the regional sector, proposed Centre for Advanced sector generated an overview of notable companies include: Harland and Sustainable Energy (CASE) will the existing scientific, research and Wolff; Glen Dimplex, DONG Energy, provide a single focal point for targeted technological capacity of the region, McLaughlin and Harvey, Kingspan, collaborative Research, Development and identified key differentiating and F.G. Wilson, and Copeland (Emerson and Demonstration (R, D&D) in the commercially competitive features.2 Climate Technologies). sustainable energy sector, coordinating activities across academic institutions Northern Ireland has an evolving and Northern Ireland has two Universities, and industry. maturing sustainable energy supply Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and chain with approximately 500 currently University of Ulster (UU) both of which Key physical assets of relevance in active companies, of which the majority are considered world class in a range the region include the SeaGen tidal are within the wind, marine, bioenergy, of research areas, including marine generation turbine in Strangford Lough, and integrated building technologies research at QUB and built environment the harbour facilities, the Northern sectors. There is particular expertise research at UU. In addition, the Agri- Ireland Advanced Composites and in systems engineering and offshore Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Engineering Centre (NIACE), and the services.3 conducts leading research into the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP). growth and processing of biomass In common with Northern Ireland as crops (including SRC Willow). The a whole, the vast majority of these network of six regional colleges companies are micro SMEs (< 10 provides a robust and coherent base employees).