About the project

NERA is fast-tracking the formation of an industry-led ocean energy cluster that will strengthen collaboration, accelerate innovation and increase the current markets for Australia's ocean energy sector.

The cluster — Australian Ocean Energy Group — facilitates industry collaboration of the ocean energy industry to create significant value for Australia. Its founding partners include leading energy organisations, Australian research institutions, plus innovators and SMEs drawn from across Australia and the world.

This virtual ocean energy cluster is an innovative addition to the global ocean energy sector.

Integrated Ocean Energy Marketplace

As part of this project, NERA is helping to stimulate market demand for offshore renewable energy in Australia by supporting the AOEG to establish the world's first Integrated Ocean Energy Marketplace.

Based in WA's Great Southern region, the Marketplace will demonstrate the value of wave energy (and tidal energy in Australia's north) as critical enablers of offshore wind and solar power in an integrated renewable energy microgrid system.

Find out more here.

The Australian Ocean Energy Group is guided by a mission to accelerate commercialisation of Australia’s ocean energy as the next frontier in low carbon generating capacity and add ocean energy to Australia’s energy resource mix.

This vision will be achieved by:

• Creating demand for ocean energy (‘market pull’);
• Reducing barriers to implementing commercial demonstration projects (‘industry push’); and
• Focussing on economic benefits in the communities and industries where ocean energy is implemented.

Goals:

• Increase collaboration
• Apply innovation
• Expand market opportunities
• Engage with government
• Inform and connect
• Strive for cost reduction and efficiencies

"Through focussing efforts on research and collaboration, Australia has the potential to become a leading source of knowledge for the ocean energy community."

Miranda Taylor, NERA CEO

The value of the cluster

The cluster creates value by supporting the acceleration of Australian ocean energy projects.

Both near-shore and co-located offshore energy initiatives have the potential to provide direct opportunities for shared energy benefits, infrastructure, supply chain, specialised service technology exchange and maintenance and repairs.

The virtual approach of the cluster is particularly suited to the nature of the Australian ocean energy sector and proposed as the most efficient way to innovate solutions to challenges in ocean energy development.

Through growing the breadth and diversity of capabilities in Australian ocean energy services, the sector will become more resilient to future market variations.