WES: Call for novel wave energy converters

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has issued a second competitive project call for the development of novel wave energy converters.

According to WES, applicants will need to have already identified a concept and carried our preliminary feasibility work.

WES will only seek to support truly novel devices which have not been developed and characterised before.

However, WES will consider supporting existing device concepts which have previously progressed to higher levels of maturity but where significant improvement potential has been identified and can be demonstrated, and it would therefore be appropriate to return to an earlier stage, Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s press release reads.

There are three stages for the novel wave energy converter call. The contracts for the the first stage may be awarded up to £300.000 per project over a twelve month period for concept characterization and refinement.

The overall budget available from WES for projects is up to £2.4 mln.

Tim Hurst, Managing Director, Wave Energy Scotland said: “This call is specifically designed to support wave technology developers who have taken an idea through the initial stages of the feasibility work.

“We believe this approach will form a viable and long term route for wave technology development. Ultimately we want to see the testing of scale prototype devices. This is the point where wave energy will become interesting to private investors once more.”

Applications for the call must be made through Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), where the applicants will be able to download the call documentation, ask questions and upload applications after the registration.

The tender closes on August 13, and the contracts award date is set for October 21, 2015.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This is an important day for Wave Energy Scotland. This second project call is a key opportunity for innovative technology developers to get involved in Wave Energy Scotland and come up with genuinely novel ideas which provide solutions for the cost effective generation of electricity from wave energy.”

This is the second in a series of competitive calls from Wave Energy Scotland. The first call, for innovative power take-off Systems (PTO), closed on May 22, 2015.

Wave Energy Scotland is a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It is fully funded by the Scottish Government, which has allocated £14.3 mln to WES for the period to the end of March 2016.

Image: EMEC/Illustration