INTERVIEW OUT & ABOUT
As we launch our sister publication Wave & Tidal Energy Network it seems only fitting that we find out more about this innovative company, a 16 year journey which has certainly seen peaks and troughs but with vision and tenacity has proved to be a world first.
I caught up with Richard betwixt conferences to find out more about his story....
MAN OF THE SEA TO ASPIRING FIGHTER PILOT
Richard believes he has ‘salt water in his veins’ and has always had a close connection with the sea through a lifetime sailing. However, living near RAF Leuchars his calling as a child was to become a fighter pilot, as he watched the Phantom jets flying overhead he dreamt of one day piloting one... and so his journey began.
Guided by his parents to pursue his vocation, he successfully acquired sponsorship from the RAF to attend Edinburgh University to study mechanical engineering, attaining a ‘permanent commission’ in the RAF at the tender age of 17.
PROFESSOR STEPHEN SALTER It was in his final year of study having to present his thesis, Richard’s interest in wave power was piqued by Stephen Salter, the 1970s inventor of the Salter’s Duck (also known as the nodding duck or more officially the Edinburgh Duck). The Duck was one of the very first wave energy concepts and had been conceived and developed in response to the 1970’s oil price crisis, but development ceased when North Sea oil opened up and the UK Government turned away from alternative energy sources such as wave power.
Wave energy had returned to being a backwater academic curiosity with little or no commercial interest.... but enter Richard Yemm and his dedicated team!
EPIPHANY MOMENT
Richard recounts his feeling of utter awe when he opened the door of Salter’s laboratory to be met with a huge swimming pool, model boat and an extraordinary wave simulator – it was one of those life-changing experiences that we could call an ‘epiphany’!
His thirst for knowledge within this field was whetted and he continued his final year testing sailing boat hulls in Salter’s tank to attain a PhD in 1993.
www.wavetidalenergynetwork.co.uk
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