Wave Power
EMEC’s wave test facility is placed on the western edge of the Orkney mainland, in an area with one of the highest wave energy potentials in Europe. The exposed North Sea location means the island group is subjected to the powerful dynamic forces of the North Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the wave test facility was completed in October 2003, and operational activities commenced shortly thereafter. The Centre's facilities consist of four test berths situated along the 50m water depth contour off Billia Croo, Stromness on the Orkney mainland (some 2 km offshore). A shallow water berth situated close to the substation is also currently under construction.
The following have been installed or are expected to be so soon :
- Pelamis Wave Power (PWP) installed their protoype Pelamis 750 device on site for full-scale testing in August 2004. This wave energy conversion machine was the first in the world to generate electricity into a grid system from offshore wave energy. To date PWP have continued to undertake various tests as part of their ongoing development programme.
- E.ON and Scottish Power Renewables are working in co-operation and are currently testing second-generation Pelamis P-2 devices in conjunction with Pelamis Wave Power in 2010.
- AW-Energy from Finland undertook stand-alone mechanical testing in 2005 in the shallower waters at the test site.
- Aquamarine Power Ltd installed their Oyster wave power device on the seabed in August 2009 and generated electricity for the first time in November of the same year. Aquamarine plan to install their Oyster 2 wave energy converter in the summer of 2011.
- Ocean Power Technologies was scheduled to deploy their PowerBuoy in 2009, it is now expected in 2010.
- Wello, a Finish based company, plan to install their Penguin wave energy converter in 2011.
The remaining berths are provisionally allocated pending contractual completion with other developers.
Further infrastructure works continue at Billia Croo to provide a laydown area for future developers to use, similar to that already created at the tidal site. Other site works which have completed include an upgrade to the Black Craig lookout point, which includes the facilities for stationed wildlife observers. These trained observers and a high-spec camera will provide essential baseline data for the wave test site.
Read more about this topic: European Marine Energy Centre
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