A new research project aimed at improving mooring and anchoring systems in offshore wave and tidal-energy has been launched.
GeoWAVE is being led by Dundee University of Dundee and will be funded by £923,000 from the European Union’s FP7 programme.
The project will also involve the University of Western Australia and University College Cork, together with business including Lloyds Register, Seaflex AB, Deep Sea Anchors, Wavebob and Cathie Associates.
“There is great potential for wave power to be a valuable source of renewable-energy but if it is to be realised, we have to make it robust and cost-effective,” said project co-ordinator Jonathan Knappett, senior lecturer in the school of engineering, physics and mathematics at Dundee University.
He added: “One of the big challenges facing the industry is how wave-energy convertors can be safely attached or anchored to the sea bed.
“Currently, this accounts for around one-third of the production costs of convertors. That cost needs to come down if they are to be used within a fully commercial wave farm.
“If we can reduce the costs associated with station-keeping, then it will go a long way to making wave power an energy source that we can harness more effectively.”
According to the university, the vast wave-energy resource along Europe’s western seaboard is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
However, technical and economical hurdles associated with anchoring wave-energy devices to the seabed threaten to stall and limit their potential impact.
GeoWAVE aims to address this by conducting industry-specified research on a new generation of offshore anchors and mooring components thought to have the highest economical and technical merit for mooring wave-energy devices.
For more information see the project website at: www.geowave-r4sme.eu
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