The South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) has named three development partners for the proposed GBP 15M [USD$26M] Wave Hub project, to create the world’s first wave energy farm.
The Wave Hub, an electrical ‘socket’ on the seabed, would be located 10 miles off the coast of Cornwall, and connected to the National Grid via an underwater cable. Wave energy devices would be connected to the Wave Hub, allowing device manufacturers to carry out large-scale testing of their machines before going into commercial production. Work on the Wave Hub is expected to commence next year.
Nick Harrington, Wave Hub Project manager at the South West RDA, said: “We have chosen three companies that are sufficiently advanced with their devices, have the resources to deliver their projects and are committed to working with stakeholders in Cornwall through the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership to capture the economic benefits of Wave Hub for Cornwall and the South West region.
“All three have developed very different technologies and will form a core group with which we can move forward. There is still space on Wave Hub for other companies to join later, and we are likely to hold more interviews later this year for further deployments in the future.”
The three companies shortlisted for Wave Hub are:
Ocean Prospect Ltd – a Bristol-based company and subsidiary of the Wind Prospect Group. Ocean Prospect intends to trial up to 10 Pelamis P750 devices developed by Ocean Power Delivery of Edinburgh. The Pelamis is a semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pump high-pressure oil through hydraulic motors which drive electrical generators to produce electricity.
Ocean Power Technologies – based in Warwick and listed on the London Stock Exchange, the company plans to install a 5MW project at the Wave Hub based on its PowerBuoy(TM) wave energy converter. The PowerBuoy is free floating and loosely moored to the seabed; the buoy’s float moves up and down on the central spar as the waves pass. This mechanical movement drives a hydraulic pump that forces hydraulic fluid through a rotary motor connected to an electrical generator.
Fred. Olsen Ltd -The origin of Fred. Olsen Ltd. dates back to 1848 when Fred. Olsen & Co. first entered the ship owning business. Over the years associated companies have diversified and expanded into other activities from air transport to shipping, oil and gas exploration and development services, renewable energy and high technology manufacturing and today have wide international shipping, energy, industrial, leisure and property interests.
The Fred. Olsen related activities today broadly fall into the following categories: energy, transportation, leisure and technology. Renewable energy projects comprise the development, ownership and operation of wind farms mainly in the UK, small hydro and most recently investment in wave devices. The objective in that area is to develop a wave device to generate electricity at a cost per kilowatt hour which is less than the equivalent for offshore wind farms.
Fred. Olsen, chairman and fourth generation owner of the Fred. Olsen Group, said: “In the future we will all have significantly increased need for energy from renewable sources. Governments need to facilitate and support the development of technologies and systems for wave power extraction.
“Establishment of the Wave Hub in Cornwall is an important milestone supporting developers to make wave energy a commercially attractive source of renewable energy. Government support in this respect would be very much appreciated.”
A report published last week by the Carbon Trust that found wave and tidal stream resources could provide up to 20 percent of the UK’s current electricity needs, given the right level of investment now from the public and private sector. Research quoted in the report indicates that marine energy resources are strongest around the South West of England and to the west and north of Scotland.
South West RDA, which has already committed GBP 2M [USD $3.5M] to the Wave Hub project as part of its strategy to develop environmental technologies in the South West, will be seeking a private sector partner that would own and operate Wave Hub.
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