TTI are exited to be awarded this stage 3 funding to further develop our innovative Netbuoy technology.

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Date: 27^th March 2020 Issued by: Wave Energy Scotland

Two Scottish teams secure £1 million to bring down cost of wave energy

Consortia led by Arup and Tension Technology International secure funding from Wave Energy Scotland (WES)
Proposals to use concrete and floating net buoys in wave energy devices of the future

Two consortia will share just under £1 million for projects which aim to bring down the cost of wave power.

The teams – one led by consultant engineers Arup and the other by rope and mooring specialists Tension Technology International – have each secured funding from Wave Energy Scotland to demonstrate the potential of new applications of materials to bring down the cost of wave power.

The Arup consortium aims to show that pre-cast reinforced concrete can be incorporated in a variety of wave technologies.

Tension Technology International will advance the design of their flexible buoyant pod which is encapsulated in a fibre rope net.

Commenting on the awards, Tim Hurst, Managing Director of Wave Energy Scotland said “the goal of Wave Energy Scotland is to deliver technologies which can produce power reliably and which can demonstrate a route to commercial readiness.

“These two projects use materials which have a long history of use in the marine environment but so far have not been considered for wave energy machines. We believe both have real potential to be incorporated in future devices and bring down the cost of wave power.”

The Arup team is already working with Inverness-based wave energy technology developer AWS Ocean Energy to investigate the use of the technology in the AWS Archimedes Waveswing – a submerged buoy which itself is the recipient of Wave Energy Scotland funding through the novel wave energy convertor programme.

Last year AWS and Edinburgh firm Mocean Energy shared £8 million to build half-scale wave energy machines which will be tested in real ocean conditions later this year.

“One of the benefits of reinforced concrete is that it has a lower unit cost and superior durability to steel in the marine environment and could be applied to a number of wave energy concepts, especially where its higher mass can bring benefits,” says Hurst.

“At the other end of the scale, TTI’s Netbuoy offers buoyancy where needed, with the ability to flex under extreme wave loads.

“These awards will enable both technologies to make significant advances towards commercially ready products.”

Both projects secured their awards to progress to Stage 3 of WES’ Structural Materials and Manufacturing Processes programme, having come through the WES Stage Gate process, which began with ten technologies at stage 1 and three at stage 2.

Both teams aim to demonstrate the survivability of their concepts and their application in a range of wave energy devices. They will also work with supply chain partners to advance the commercialisation of their technologies and will provide open source design tools which can be used by wave energy developers in the design of their devices.

Ben Yeats, project Manager at Tension Technology International said, “TTI is excited to be awarded this stage 3 contract to further develop our innovative inflatable Netbuoy technology. The recent completion of the design phase has shown that our technology is applicable to a wide range of wave power technologies and can ultimately deliver a step change in the cost of marine renewable energy.

Stage 3, which will include Scottish coastal field trials, will enable TTI to advance the Netbuoy’s technical and commercial readiness while exploring new markets.”

George Walker, Associate in Advanced Digital Engineering at Arup said, “we are excited to work with Wave Energy Scotland to further develop our concrete wave energy convertor (WEC) design and improve the commercial case for the sector.

“The previous stage of work included successful full-scale testing of an innovative precast concrete connection which will enable serial production of concrete WECs. The next stage will comprise integrating the material into the Archimedes Waveswing device to bring down cost, in parallel with development of a digital design tool to enable the material to be exploited in the sector more widely.”

This is the latest stage gate funding process in the Wave Energy Scotland programme, which is fully funded by the Scottish Government. This week, Holyrood have confirmed that they will provide a further £8.2 million of funding for the Wave Energy Scotland programme in the 2020/21 budget.

Scottish Government Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said,

“Given the ongoing climate emergency, it’s vital that Scotland maximises our renewable energy sources. We’re fortunate in this country to have the potential to generate enormous amounts of wave power as part of our energy mix, and the Scottish Government is committing significant resources towards helping the sector move from innovation to commercial viability. The internationally-respected Wave Energy Scotland fund does a great job in identifying projects that can make a real difference to creating cost-effective technologies and encouraging private sector investment in this emerging industry.

“This is an exciting time for Scotland’s marine energy sector and I look forward to seeing the progress of both of these great wave energy projects in the months to come.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Wave Energy Scotland

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has been driving the search for innovative solutions to the technical challenges facing the wave energy sector. Through their competitive procurement programme, they support a range of projects focused on the key systems and sub-systems of wave energy convertors (WECs).

The aim is to produce reliable technology which will result in cost effective wave energy generation, and to ensure Scotland maintains a leading role in the development of marine energy.

WES was formed in 2014 at the request of the Scottish Government and is a subsidiary of Highlands & Islands Enterprise, fully funded by the Scottish Government.

Through their work WES have funded 96 contracts, invested £39.6 million and been involved with 230 separate organisations across 13 different countries.

ENDS

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