WES picks second round of Direct Generation Concept Design Competition winners

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has granted £400,000 (approximately $514k) to be shared between two projects in the second round of the Direct Generation Concept Design Competition.

The two selected projects, led by 4c Engineering and TTI Marine Renewables, will tackle challenges such as elastomer fatigue, flexible electrodes, cell-based generator design, and materials selection. This work aims to advance the development of direct-generation wave energy converters (WECs).

Over nine months, each team will form collaborations and seek additional funding, helping WES to develop a cross-sector community focused on direct generation (DG) technologies. These projects are aligned with other WES initiatives, including the Supergen ORE Impact Hub Flexfund program.

In Round 1 of the Direct Generation Concept Competition, five teams developed WEC concept designs, enabling them to assess the benefits, identify research and development needs, and understand the challenges of applying flexible, distributed, direct energy conversion to wave energy, said WES.

The chosen projects would advance their design concepts for flexible WECs, focusing on maximizing the potential of electrostatic power conversion technologies, particularly dielectric elastomer generators (DEGs) and dielectric fluid generators (DFGs).

Round 2 will build on these designs and start addressing the research and development (R&D) activities identified in the first round. 

“Round 1 of the Direct Generation Concept Design Competition delivered a valuable strategic step in the investigation of this promising technology area. Round 2, and the collaborations it will create, will start to answer the key questions through targeted R&D projects, building our confidence and readiness for further technology development in direct generation wave energy solutions,” said Jonathan Hodges, Innovation and Strategy Manager at WES. 

WES has been examining the use of DG technologies in wave energy. DG aims to convert the movement of materials (such as stretching, twisting, and bending) directly into electrical energy, bypassing traditional electrical generators. These materials are typically used in actuators, sensors, and small-scale energy harvesting applications.

The Scottish company launched the Direct Generation Concept Design Competition in July 2023, inviting wave energy specialists, concept designers, and solution architects to participate.

The competition was open to all, including individual companies, but applying as part of a group or consortium would strengthen the application. Assembling a project team would include capability in areas such as wave energy, flexible materials, flexible electronics, manufacturing processes, soft robotics, and actuation systems, WES noted.