Engineering news
Carnegie Wave Energy, an Australian-based company, has been granted £9 million from the European Regional Development Fund to support the first phase of its planned 15MW commercial wave energy project at Wave Hub in Cornwall.
Wave Hub is the world's largest and most technologically advanced site for the testing and development of offshore renewable energy technology.
The grant is part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020, and forms 65% of the funding for stage one: a £14.7 million project to design, construct, install and operate a single 1MW grid-connected wave energy converter device called CETO 6, adapted to local conditions and industrialised for large scale commercial deployment at the Wave Hub.
Stage two of the project -planned for 2020/21- will deliver a subsequent 15MW commercial array at the same site, offering a commercial return on investment. The project will commence immediately, with commissioning set for 2018, followed by 12 months of operations.
George Eustice, minister of state at the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "Cornwall offers a cluster of academic and industrial expertise, world class test facilities, infrastructure and resources which ensures it is well positioned to play a significant role in securing the UK’s continued reputation as a market leader in offshore renewables."
Dr Michael Ottaviano, Carnegie’s managing director and chief executive, said: “The UK offers unique advantages for the commercialisation of CETO. This funding is a prime example of the support available that is accompanied by marine energy revenue support, experienced supply chains, demonstration sites such as Wave Hub and deep investment knowledge in the renewable energy sector. We are delighted to have been selected through what is a highly competitive process consisting of a rigorous technical and commercial assessment process”.
Carnegie has been developing its CETO wave energy technology for more than 10 years, deploying three CETO 5 units in 2014/15 in Australia. It accumulated more than 14,000 hours of operation and was the only known grid connected wave energy array operating in the world in 2015.
Carnegie is currently developing a follow-on pre-commercial project to design and demonstrate the CETO 6 unit. The CETO technology operates underwater and converts ocean wave energy into zero-emission electricity.