Funding of £1.2 million to wave tank testing facility awarded by South West development agency
October 2009
The South West Regional Development Agency (South West RDA), a public agency devoted to business development in the region, has invested £1.2m in a new wave tank testing facility.
The facility will allow model testing in both multi-directional waves and variable direction currents, and will also be able to model shallow and deep water conditions. It will enable the testing of scale models of wave and tidal energy devices individually and in arrays. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.
Dr Deborah Greaves comments ‘Not only can we test the performance of wave and tidal devices, but we can also model how these devices might impact on coastal conditions.’ Dr Greaves is a reader in coastal and marine engineering at the University of Plymouth, where the wave tank facility will be located.
The tank testing unit is part of south West RDA’s commitment to contribute £7.3m investment to the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE), a £12.6m project set up by academics and researchers from the universities of Exeter and Plymouth to support the development of the marine renewables sector. The facility is expected to be completed by early 2012
Michelle Williams from Artemis Solutions Group who specialise in the energy sector comments “ It seems like the wave tank will play to the UK’s energy strengths – using science, engineering, waves and tides - to help establish a global lead in developing renewable energy supply. Wave technology may well be a key to the future of energy generation and projects like this could make this happen.’
