The South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) has named Oceanlinx Ltd. of Australia to be the fourth wave energy developer to test and demonstrate its generating equipment at the offshore Wave Hub project in the United Kingdom.
RDA previously named three wave energy companies to be its development partners. Their wave energy devices are to be connected to Wave Hub’s electrical �socket� on the seabed, allowing them to conduct large-scale testing of their equipment before going into commercial production.
The total 28 million pound (US$54.8 million) Wave Hub project is a proposed underwater cable system to connect wave energy projects off the coast of Hayle, Cornwall, England, to the national grid. RDA recently approved 21.5 million pounds (US$42 million) for Wave Hub, the final amount of funds needed to build the ocean power project testing site. (HNN 5/9/07)
Last year, the U.K.’s Department of Trade and Industry’s Marine Renewables Deployment Fund approved 4.5 million pounds (US$8.5 million) for the scheme. Construction could begin this year if ministers give it planning permission, expected in June.
Oceanlinx, which changed its name from Energetech Australia Pty Ltd. in April, said it would combine Oscillating Water Column technology with its patented turbine technology. Wave Hub project manager Nick Harrington said the Oceanlinx technology is sufficiently advanced to take advantage of the unique Wave Hub facilities.
Other companies named previously are: Ocean Prospect Ltd., which intends to test 10 Pelamis P750 devices developed by Ocean Power Delivery; Ocean Power Technologies, which intends to install a 5-MW project based on its PowerBuoy wave energy converter; and Fred. Olsen Ltd., which plans to install a number of floating buoys attached to a floating platform that converts wave energy to electricity.
Oceanlinx announced April 28 it submitted a preliminary permit application to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a project in Oregon, the 10-MW Florence Wave Park project. (HNN 5/1/07)
