Fig. 1. A commercial version of this demonstration platform is in the planning stage.
Ongoing research and investment in wave power strategies
The latest wave power schemes are aimed at perfecting demonstration plants, but commercial generation is getting nearer. Sean Ottewell reports.
Los últimos planes de energía mareomotriz están orientados a perfeccionar plantas de demostración, peo la generación comercial está cada vez más cerca. Informa Sean Ottewell.
Die neuesten Wellenenergiepläne beziehen sich auf die Perfektionierung der Testanlagen, aber die kommerzielle Energieerzeugung ist in Sicht. Bericht von Sean Ottewell.
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eveloped by the UK’s South West Regional Development Agency (RDA), the pioneering Wave Hub marine energy project has been safely installed on the seabed
following a delicate operation to lower the 12t hub into 55 metres of water, 16 km offshore. Wave Hub is creating the world’s largest test site for wave energy technology by building a grid-connected socket on the seabed off the coast of Cornwall in South West England, to which wave power devices can be connected and their performance evaluated. Te idea is that groups of wave energy devices will be connected to Wave Hub and float on or just below the surface of the sea to assess how well they work and how much power they generate before being commercially produced and deployed. Tere are four berths available at Wave Hub, each covering two square kilometres.
Wave Hub will have an initial maximum capacity of 20MW (enough electricity to power approximately 7000 homes) but has been designed with the potential to scale up to 50MW in the future. Te first wave energy devices are expected to be deployed in 2011. Te £42m (€50m) project has been developed
by the South West RDA and is a cornerstone of its strategy to develop a world class marine energy industry in South West England and the UK. Te RDA’s Wave Hub general manager
Guy Lavender said: “Wave Hub will be on the seabed for the next 25 years, helping the world gain invaluable knowledge about how we tap the vast energy potential of our oceans in the pursuit of clean, abundant, renewable energy and cementing the UK’s position at the forefront of this green power revolution.” Wave Hub is connected to the shore via a 25km, 1300t subsea cable that has been laid
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