Enel's marine energy arrives in Chile

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Enel Green Power's experimentation in the marine energy sector has arrived in Chile, where both Enel's renewable energy company and DCNS, a key player in the industry, were selected by the Chilean government's economic development organisation CORFO to create the Marine Energy Research and Innovation (MERIC), a global centre of excellence for the development of new technology.

MERIC'S research and development work will focus on marine energy sources such as tidal power and wave power in the Pacific Ocean off the Chilean coast. MERIC will implement an innovative, integrated approach that includes the installation of a wave energy converter that will serve as a validation test bench and will compare theoretical results with real world data. The centre's researchers will assess marine energy resources, characterise sites, look more closely at biofouling, bio-corrosion and the environmental and social impact of the technology, as well as seeing how it can adapt to extreme ocean conditions.

The Enel Group has long been generating, distributing and selling electricity produced from both traditional and green sources in Chile. It recently inaugurated SmartCity Santiago in the Chilean capital, the first smart city in the country that will offer inhabitants access to innovative services and cutting-edge green technology.

EGP is also completing the testing phase of R115, the marine wave energy converter developed by 40South Energy, in Italy. R115 is the first device to use wave motion to generate electricity, generating no emissions and having no impact on the marine environment and landscape. The creation of EGP's marine converter is in line with the European Commission's Action Plan for the development of the Blue Economy, which features wave energy as one of its priorities.