Wave energy materials get ‘concrete’ government support

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has awarded contracts with a total value of £1.4 million to three innovation projects designed to support further investigation of promising structural materials and manufacturing concepts to be used in the construction of wave energy devices.

The projects supported include that led by ARUP to evaluate new ways of using concrete; CorPower Ocean-led initiative to assess the viability of polyester/E-Glass, and the final project – headed by Tension Technology International – will research new materials for flexible structures.

Each of the projects will take place over the next 9 months, according to Wave Energy Scotland.

Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, said: “With sustained Scottish government support, WES continues to lead the development of new wave energy technologies with the funding of these three projects. The results from this research will help the wave energy sector grow and contribute to establishing a marine energy industry in Scotland.

“Scotland’s wave energy resource can make a valuable contribution to our renewable energy portfolio. Together with our supportive policy environment, skilled supply chain and expertise in energy innovation, Scotland is the ideal location for wave energy development and well placed to benefit from the enormous global market for marine energy.”

Tim Hurst, WES’s Managing Director, said: “These three projects represent the best of the ideas for materials and manufacturing processes that can be applied to wave energy converters. The projects will make a significant contribution to knowledge of materials best suited to manufacturing wave energy converters and will take the sector closer to developing a winning solution for wave energy.”

Wave Energy Scotland is a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is fully funded by the Scottish government. It takes a progressive and collaborative approach to tackling the issues which have proved challenging in the wave energy sector and is driving the development of wave energy technology in Scotland and beyond.