UK invests £2.5m in wave and tidal research

Three wave and tidal research projects have received £2.5 million funding from the UK Government. The investment from the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board will help finance research and development focused on supporting the deployment of pre-commercial, full-scale wave and tidal devices installed and operating in the sea.

The companies leading the three projects are: Bauer Renewables, Pelamis Wave Power and Marine Current Turbines. The total value of the research and development work, including contributions from the participating companies, will be over £9m. Three universities and 7 British companies will be involved in the work.

Bauer plans to design, manufacture and test seabed drilling technology for the installation of underwater device foundations aiming to reduce the cost of installation and deployment of tidal energy devices.

The Pelamis-led project will test two P2 wave power machines in an array for the first time, to prove and demonstrate survivability, reliability, operability, maintainability and energy yield.

Marine Current Turbines will research the impact of tidal arrays on the marine environment, through studies conducted of the SeaGen device at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.

Source: Renewable Energy Focus