The EU has sanctioned the €19.6 million ($21.62 million) wave energy project WEDUSEA.
This is a collaboration between 14 partners across industry and academia in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain, and coordinated by Irish company OceanEnergy.
The EU Horizon Europe Programme and Innovate UK are providing funding.
WEDUSEA underwent an independent review by EU appointed specialists to ensure the technical designs and all plans, budgets and protocols were in place and approved.
Under the next phase, the project will demonstrate a grid-connected 1-MW OE35 floating wave energy converter at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) wave energy test site at Billia Croo in Orkney, northern Scotland.
The technical and environmental demonstration will take place over a two-year period in Atlantic wave conditions.
OceanEnergy has developed the OE35, said to be the world’s largest capacity floating wave energy device. This floats on the ocean’s surface, incorporating a trapped air volume, with the lower part open to the sea.
Wave pressures at the submerged opening cause the water to oscillate with the trapped air directed through a turbine to generate electricity, which will be exported to the UK grid via EMEC’s subsea cables.
The first of WEDUSEA’s three phases entails the initial design and construction of a device able to withstand ocean conditions at the Billia Croo wave energy test site. The two-year Phase 2 demonstration at the site will be followed by commercialization in the final phase.
Construction of the wave converter will begin later this year, with the demonstration at EMEC set to start next June.
