The project bringing together companies and organizations from several countries under the joint objective of improving the performance of wave energy technologies has been officially launched in Spain.
The international initiative – backed by Ocean Energy ERA-NET Cofund (OCEANERA-NET COFUND) program – will see the W1 wave energy converter tested and validated in real-sea environment as part of the WEP+ project.
Project partners include Aquatera , Neureus Technologies , Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN) , Centrale-Nantes , Las Palmas Ports , and University of Nantes , who will collaborate to improve and demonstrate the reliability and performance of W1 device under the 18-month initiative, which ends in September 2019.
The W1 device is made of an axisymmetric resonant point absorber buoy equipped with direct drive power take-off system, it is stated on PLOCAN website.
According to the Scottish-based energy and environmental consultancy Aquatera, its role in the project is to progress research in biofouling, and to design and implement a comprehensive research program to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of wave energy developments by reducing uncertainty in this area.
The WEP+ project objectives are in line with that of the OCEANERA-NET COFUND ’s as the program was established with specific aim to coordinate support for research and development in the ocean energy sector between regions and nations in order to drive down the LCOE of ocean energy devices by tackling some of the key challenges identified in the sector.
Eight national and regional government agencies from six European countries that form the OCEANERA-NET COFUND initiative will also collaborate to help bring innovative low-carbon energy solutions closer to commercial deployment, while creating growth and jobs, and at the same time maintaining and progressing Europe’s world leading position in ocean energy.
Funded by EU’s Horizon 2020 Program for Research and Innovation, the new five-year action – operating from 2017 to 2021 – will build on the work of the Ocean Energy European Research Area Network (OCEANERA-NET) which ended in November 2017.