Wave Energy Scotland
Wave Energy Scotland (WES) is a technology development body set up by the Scottish Government to facilitate the development of wave energy, particularly in Scotland. It was set up in 2015 following the demise of Pelamis Wave Power in November 2014, and is part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) based in Inverness. WES manages a number of competitive project calls, funding the development of key strategic areas.
Inception
The Scottish Government decided to set up a body to bolster the ailing wave energy sector in Scotland, following the demise of one of the leading developers Pelamis Wave Power. The Energy Minister Fergus Ewing announced an initial budget for the body of £14.3 million over 13 months at the RenewableUK conference in February 2016[1]
Organisation objectives
The objectives for WES were set out by the Scottish Government as:[2]
- Seek to retain the intellectual property and know-how from device development in Scotland for future benefit;
- Enable Scotland’s indigenous technologies to reach commercial readiness in the most efficient and effective manner, and in a way that allows the public sector to exit in due course;
- Ensure that the learning gained from support for wave device development and deployment to date, in particular the learning from Scotland’s leading wave technologies, is retained and used to benefit the wave energy industry;
- Avoid duplication in funding, encourage collaboration between companies and research institutes and foster greater standardisation across the industry;
- Ensure value for money from public sector investment; and
- Promote greater confidence in the technical performance of wave energy systems in order to encourage the return of private sector investment.
Project calls
To date, WES has announced three project calls,[3] with a further two expected in 2017.
| Call Title | Launch Date | Call Closed | Budget | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary energy conversion technologies (power take-off systems, PTO) | 19 March 2015 | 22 May 2015 | £7m | MAR203890 |
| Novel wave energy converters | 10 June 2015 | 13 August 2015 | up to £2.4m | JUN211095 |
| Structural materials and manufacturing processes 18 July 2016 | 8 September 2016 | JUL250786 |
Power take off systems
A total of 42 applications were made for this £7m call, with contracts awarded to nine consortia.[4][5]
| Project name | Lead organisation | Other partners | Contract value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Hydraulic-electric Power Take Off (AHPTO) | Nova Innovation Ltd | Aquamarine Power, Siemens | £89,929 |
| Direct contact dielectric elastomer PTO for submerged wave energy converters | Scuola Superiore di Studi Uniersitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna (SSSA) | University of Edinburgh, Universita di Bologna | £96,000 |
| Edinburgh Designs Adaptive Power Take Off (EDAPTO) | Edinburgh Designs | None | £78,090 |
| New Electric Automotive Power Extraction Device (NEAPED) | Marine Design International (MDI) | 4c Design | £79,400 |
| Power Electronic Controlled Magnet Gear (PECMAG) | Ecosse Subsea Systems | Bathwick Electrical Design Ltd, Pure Marine Ltd, Supply Design Ltd. | £100,000 |
| Power Sharing Transmission based Bi-directional to Uni-directional PTO (PST-PTO) | Cofely Fabricom | Ghent University | £99,990 |
| Survivable and Efficient OLeo-hydraulic assisted power TAke-off (SEÒLTA) | TECNALIA Research & Innovation | OCEANTEC Energías Marinas S.L. | £87,271 |
| Wave Energy Transmission Module | Romax Technology Ltd | Sea Power Ltd, Limerick Wave & Pure Marine Gen | £100,000 |
| 'WEC-Direct' - The application of a direct drive, contra-rotating generator to wave energy converters | Energy Systems Research Unit, University of Strathclyde | Nautricity Ltd | £99,128 |
Intellectual property
WES has acquired intellectual property developed by the now defunct companies Pelamis Wave Power and Aquamarine Power. The former as part of the inception of Wave Energy Scotland, whilst the latter was completed in September 2016.[6]
Annual Conference
The first Wave Energy Scotland annual conference was held on 2 December 2017 at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh"Wave Energy Scotland's first Annual Conference". Retrieved 2 December 2016.. This provided an update of ongoing and future calls, plus quick-fire updates from participants ongoing PTO and NWEC calls.
External links
See also
References
- ↑ "Over £14 million for Wave Energy Scotland". The Scottish Government. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "Wave Energy Scotland Fact Sheet" (PDF). The Scottish Government. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "Project calls". Wave Energy Scotland. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "WES announces PTO call contract awards". Tidal Energy Today. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "International search for innovative power take-off systems for wave energy results in £7m award to technology innovators | hie.co.uk". www.hie.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "WES purchases Aquamarine Power IP". Wave Energy Scotland. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
