Basque energy agency, Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE), has announced that it will provide funding in the amount of EUR 2.5 mln for the development of a wave energy project, designed to be deployed off the Basque coast.
The aim of the agency’s call is pre-commercial public procurement of technology development of an offshore floating converter which would harness the energy from waves along the Basque coast.
The contract requires a minimum technological level of a TRL4-TRL5, with developed basic principles of operation, numerical modeling and at least a few trials of a prototype in a channel or tank.
The Basque Country has recently launched Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BIMEP) that aims to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of converters and their safety, before moving to a commercial scale state. The platform will be used to test the object of procurement.
The contract does not cover projects seeking prototype testing at sea. Furthermore, the contract will not be awarded to projects that aim to develop breakthrough concepts that are not compliant with international trends of the sector and have not reached a sufficient level of development that would guarantee their suitability.
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Tidal Energy Today Staff; Image: EVE/Illustration