AqualisBraemar LOC gets on board two wave energy projects

May 18, 2021, by Ajsa Habibic

AqualisBraemar LOC has joined two wave energy projects which have been awarded UKRI Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) grants of a combined value of over GBP 2 million.

R V Ahilan, chief energy transition officer at AqualisBraemar LOC (Photo: AqualisBraemar LOC)

AqualisBraemar LOC’s chief energy transition officer, R V Ahilan, will join the projects’ advisory boards to support the research and development in both projects.

R V Ahilan, chief energy transition officer at AqualisBraemar LOC (Courtesy of AqualisBraemar LOC)

As announced earlier, the two projects aim to overcome challenges such as the durability and productivity of wave energy’s subsea infrastructure in hostile weather conditions through research and development.

The first project, led by Peter Stansby of the University of Manchester, is related to the mooring design and analysis to enhance an offshore wave energy converter’s (WEC’s) survivability against fatigue.

It will model the impact of waves on various mooring options to generate efficient modeling methods that will aid the design of resilient future WECs. The project has been awarded an EPSRC grant of GBP 997,000.

The second project is led by Qingwei Ma of City, University of London, and aims to overcome the hydrodynamic modeling challenges by developing a modeling suite equipped with advanced machine learning algorithms and coupling five numerical models.

It will assess the survivability of a WEC under extreme marine conditions. The project has been awarded an EPSRC grant of a little over GBP 1 million. R V Ahilan will chair the advisory board for this project.

“It is an honour to join the advisory board on both these projects as well as to have supported their winning EPSRC proposals. This work represents an exciting chapter in British green energy innovation, addressing technological and infrastructural challenges faced in commercialising wave energy”, said R V Ahilan.

AqualisBraemar LOC highlighted its goal to achieve 50 per cent of the group’s revenues from sustainability and energy transition activities in 2025. “These research projects fit perfectly with our energy transition strategy”, added R V Ahilan.