VALID seeks industry feedback for wave hybrid testing platform

The EU-funded VALID project has launched a survey to gather industry input for the accelerated testing requirements for wave energy developments.

Led by RINA Consulting, the five-minute questionnaire is aimed at those involved in the wave energy sector, including developers, researchers, manufacturers, certification bodies and more.

The goal of the survey is to support the analysis on wave energy converters (WECs) sub-systems/components and respective criticalities.

Each of the twelve questions investigates stakeholders’ perception about standards, guidelines or technical specifications during the design and testing of the WEC critical sub-systems/components.

Aggregated results from this survey will be published in VALID project deliverables on the project’s dedicated website.

The aim of the three-year VALID project is to develop and validate a new test rig platform and procedures for accelerated hybrid testing that can be used across the wave energy sector to improve the reliability and survivability of the components and subsystems that form wave energy converters.

The project has been supported with €5 million awarded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.

The methodology for accelerated hybrid testing combines both physical testing (physical test rigs) and virtual testing (simulated environment, numerical models and data).

The VALID project will develop a Hybrid Test Platform, set to become the interface that allows for seamless accelerated hybrid testing.

With the long-term goal of establishing a standard for future use and making a step-change impact on the sector, the new test rig platform and methodology will be validated for a variety of WECs, critical components and subsystems through three different user cases.

The project will draw on expertise from leading research companies (Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Biscay Marine Energy Platform), and academic institutions (Aalborg University, and Technical University of Delft).

Also, the project has welcomed industrial experts across Europe as partners, including Corpower Ocean; Rina Consulting; Idom Consulting, Engineering, Architecture; AVL LIST; Yavin Four Consultants; Wavepiston; Aquatera Sustainability Ireland; and consulting engineer Julia F. Chozas.