Top news, January 29 – February 4, 2018

Tidal Energy Today has compiled the top news from tidal and wave energy industry from January 29 until February 4, 2018.


FORESEA brings 6 ocean energy developers to SmartBay

The EU-funded FORESEA program has approved funding for six offshore renewable energy developers to deploy their technologies at the Irish SmartBay marine and renewable energy test site. FORESEA’s user selection board picked demonstration projects led by Sea Power, Bluwind Power and Marine Power Systems to receive support to test their technologies.

The €11 million project also supported Blue Ocean Monitoring, UGen and Calwave which will be deploying their technologies at the quarter scale test site at Galway Bay as well.


FORCE: Tidal turbine had no notable effect on marine life

Cape Sharp Tidal’s turbine in the Bay of Fundy was found to have no notable effect on fish and marine mammals while being in operation during the first half of 2017, according to the latest FORCE environmental report. Initial fish data analysis completed by the University of Maine did not identify a significant effect of turbine deployment during the period, but more data is needed to strengthen this conclusion, FORCE said.

Similarly, initial analysis by SMRU Consulting (North America) found no evidence that porpoise permanently avoided the site while a turbine was in operation, but there was a temporary decline during installation activities.


CTC presents new protective coating for marine renewables

Spanish-based research foundation Technological Centre of Components (Centro Tecnológico de Componentes – CTC) has presented an innovative coating said to be able to protect marine devices from corrosion for more than two decades. The coating will also be able to provide defense against biological contamination, known as the biofouling, for more than 10 years, according to CTC.

Other innovations resulting from the project have also been presented, including another coating and a monitoring system for corrosion and biofouling, applicable to any type of offshore metal structure.


Oregon firm inks $6.5M deal to build Irish wave device

Oregon-based marine and industrial fabrication company Vigor has signed a contract valued at $6.5 million to build Ocean Energy’s wave energy device ahead of its deployment off Hawaii.

The Irish developer’s OE Buoy with a potential rated capacity of up to 1.25 MW in electrical power production will be deployed at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site off the Hawaiian Island of O’ahu in the fall of 2018, the companies said in a joint statement.


Laminaria weathers through final COAST Lab trials

Belgian wave energy developer Laminaria has completed tank testing of its scaled wave energy device at the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory at Plymouth University.

Production of the full-scale Laminaria WEC is now underway and is due to be completed by April in preparation for deployment at EMEC’s Billia Croo wave test site later in 2018.


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