Australian engineering company AMOG has secured a grant through Marine-i program that will enable the company to test its wave energy device at FaBTest site in Falmouth Bay.
Marine-i has provided funding for the AMOG team to conduct the first phase of testing of their wave energy device from June 2018 at the University of Exeter’s FabTest site.
The company plans to test 1:3 scale model of the device whose design is based on a floating vessel with a damped pendulum – the latter formed on the principles of Dynamic Vibration Absorbers.
AMOG’s wave energy system is tuned to extract energy from the pendulum damping via electromotive force (EMF), where the only the only mechanical moving part is the pendulum connection, the company said.
David Rowley , the Chairman of AMOG Consulting who also represents the company’s office in the UK, said: “We considered other potential testing locations, including in Australia, but Cornwall stood out as having a number of clear advantages for us.
“Firstly, the weather conditions in Cornwall mean that there is a more consistent wave pattern. Secondly, the infrastructure in Cornwall for marine testing is highly developed and advanced – the county offers first class testing facilities that are already proven, as well as a superb supply chain in the marine technology sector.
“And lastly, the availability of grant funding and other support through Marine-i has enabled us to accelerate the project.”
FaBTest, considered to be a ‘nursery’ test site for wave energy converters, offers the opportunity for the device to be tested in a sheltered location and moderate wave climate as it is situated within Falmouth harbor, between three and five kilometres offshore in Falmouth Bay.
Hayden Marcollo , Director of AMOG’s research and development arm AMOG Technologies, said: “This will enable us to test various aspects of the product design and its integration, providing confidence in the design and operation before scaling up to a full-size version connected to the grid in the next test phase.
“Our expertise in offshore renewables allowed us to bring a unique understanding to the conceptual development of a new technology. It seemed to us that the major failings of previous projects have been related to reliability, survivability and cost of installation.
“We have found a way to address these issues by eliminating mechanical components below the waterline and ensuring the system is moored conventionally requiring low cost infrastructure. Crucially, our design, installation and project execution depends heavily on the lessons learned and best practices from the fifty year old offshore oil and gas industry.”
Short for Australian Marine & Offshore Group, AMOG was founded over 25 years ago – originally providing consulting services to the offshore oil and gas industry.
Over the last 15 years, the company has diversified to deliver services to new sectors such as offshore renewable energy, the civil maritime industry, and the heavy transport industry.
Part-funded with £6.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Marine-i is a collaboration between the University of Exeter, Plymouth University, The Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Marine Network, Cornwall Development Company and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.
It aims to bring together the industry expertise and key infrastructure needed to support a new generation of products and services in the marine sector from the area of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.