A £5,000 grant to study a new wave power technology has been awarded to Ecosse Subsea Systems and Robert Gordon University (RGU). The award, announced today (8th July), was made by the Scottish Funding Council, and will go some of the way to supporting the current phase of research into offshore deepwater wave power.

The offshore deepwater system will be similar to a ship moored in areas of high wave energy, such as the North Sea. It is infinitely scaleable, from rowing boat to supertanker size, explained Mike Wilson, Ecosse Subsea Systems' Managing Director, with the unit converting the wave engery and sending the collected power ashore via fixed links. The technology currently being looked at could produce between two and five megawatts from a single device, said Wilson.

The power output claimed by Wilson is a huge step up from most current technologies, however, the production platform will have to be able to survive in some of the harshest of marine environments.

Wilson said: “This technology is not only totally renewable but is also based on current North Sea expertise so will be robust enough to handle harsh environments. The generated power will be exported for onshore use where the energy will be fed into the National grid.”

Dr. Alan Owen, Chartered Energy Engineer at the Centre for Research in Energy and the Environment at the Robert Gordon University said: “When Mike Wilson approached us two years ago with the wave power technology idea we were keen to get involved. This initiative represents cutting edge technology that could be in use in the next two years.”

RGU has already started work on the project which incorporates wave tank testing. Once the final results are compiled, Ecosse Subsea Systems will handle the constructability, including the installation of the product, and ensure the livelihood and building of the actual device.

“This project is about using conventional technology in an alternative way. We estimate a 25 year lifespan, which will be extendable with refurbishments,” said Wilson. The company is already looking for investment for the next phase of the development project which will include patent protection and a commercial scale test platfrom.