US-based wave energy developer GWave has unveiled plans to deploy a 9MW wave energy device at the Wave Hub testing center in UK.
GWave has spent the past decade developing its Power Generation Vessel (PGV) technology, and is currently preparing to bring the first full-scale device for testing purposes at the Wave Hub test center, off Cornwall.
The device floats on surface of the ocean and pitches with the swells as the waves pass underneath.
Inside the device there are weighs which swing in counter motion to generate electricity.
GWave is targeting summer 2018 to deploy the device, Wave Hub confirmed.
The company has over the recent months engaged with the south west and wider UK supply chain, including Mojo Maritime, A&P, and Tension Technologies International, to drive forward the project in the UK.
GWave and its partners are now conducting detailed tests of the mooring system at the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory at Plymouth University.
Robert Stoddard , GWave’s CEO said: “Our project launch at Cornwall’s Wave Hub facility will be a critical step in GWave’s program to bring to market cheap, clean electricity from the ocean. Wave Hub was our clear first choice for the full-scale demonstration because of the world-class facility and staff at Wave Hub as well as the deep maritime expertise and experience of South West businesses.”
Johnny Gowdy , Director at Regen SW, said: “Two things really stand out about the Gwave project. Firstly it has been financed entirely by the private sector and is supported by a very strategically focused investor. Secondly, with a massive 9MW capacity, the GWave generator is bigger than the largest offshore wind turbine. It could therefore open the possibility of large scale wave energy at a price that could compete with the cheapest low carbon technologies.”