Friday, September 20, 2024

Test Site News

Renewable Energy: AWS Waveswing Put to the Test

The Waveswing. Image courtesy AWS Ocean Energy

Inverness-based AWS Ocean Energy announced encouraging results from the current phase of sea trials of its wave energy device at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) in Orkney. In a key highlight of the scientific testing programme to date at EMEC’s Scapa Flow test site, the Waveswing wave energy converter captured average power over 10kW and peaks of 80kW, during a period of moderate wave conditions.

Energy @ Sea: Powering Up in the Blue Desert

A graphic rendering depicting C-Power’s SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system as configured for the demonstration at the U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii. © C-Power

Last year marked the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, lasting from 2021 until 2030. With 10 years comes 10 challenges—goals for regional, national and global participants to work towards for positive, collective impact on our oceans. Included in the 10 are ocean-based solutions for climate change, expanding the Global Ocean Observing System…

BLUE X: Mocean Energy unveils Wave Energy Prototype

Photo courtesy Mocean Energy

Mocean Energy unveiled its Blue X wave energy prototype which will take to the seas in Orkney next month.The 20-m long, 38-ton wave machine has been fabricated wholly in Scotland and will be deployed at the European Marine Energy Center’s Scapa Flow test site for sea trials initially, and then later deployed at EMEC’s large scale Billia Croo test site this summer.Next year Mocean Energy plan…

Chrysaor Backs Mocean Subsea

Mocean Energy, global wave energy player, has teamed up with energy major Chrysaor, subsea energy storage experts EC-OG and AUV specialist Modus in a project to look at using renewables for subsea power.The project, funded by the partners together with the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), will look to use Mocean Energy’s Blue Star wave energy converter and EC-OG’s HALO subsea energy storage system to power subsea tiebacks or residential AUVs.If industry feedback is positive…

Floatgen Output Doubles in H2 2019

The 2 MW Floatgen floating wind turbine, the first wind turbine installed offshore France, more than doubled its power production in the second half of 2019 compared to the first semester, reaching an annual total of 6GWh.According to the developer Ideol, which installed floating foundation on the Sem-Rev test site (Atlantic Coast of France), the number was achieved because of a time availability…

Minesto Boosts Taiwanese Presence

Swedish marine energy developer Minesto AB has renewed the collaboration agreement with National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) to explore the potential for Minesto’s Deep Green technology in Taiwan.The renewed collaboration agreement with NTOU's Center for Ocean Energy System (COES) was signed at a ceremony in Taipei by Minesto’s CEO Dr Martin Edlund and Professor Chen-Chou Lin, Director of…

W2POWER Floater Passes First Test

Testing of the W2Power multi-turbine floating offshore wind platform prototype has been completed at the Plocan test site at the Canary Islands in Spain.The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) said the test was developed between June 2019 and October 2019, focused on a 1:6 scale prototype, aiming to collect information from different parameters that will allow a further development and optimization of this multi-turbine platform.The platform…

Giant Offshore Turbine to be Blown Up

Ireland-based SSE Renewables, a renewable energy subsidiary of Airtricity, is set to conclude decommissioning of the Hunterston National Offshore Wind Turbine Testing Facility (NOWTTF) by blowing up in a controlled explosion.The 177m-high (580ft) turbine had been used as a test site for offshore wind farms such as the massive Beatrice field in the Outer Moray Firth. The other turbine on the…

DNV GL Opens 1st LiDAR Test Site in Asia

Global certification group DNV GL has launched its first LiDAR verification site in Asia to cater for the growing windpower market.The world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body said in a press release that the site, based in the near-shore facility, in Youngkwang, South Korea, provides optimal wind conditions for the verification of wind systems.LiDAR measurement…

MOSI Anti-Fouling Coatings for Barnacles and Zebra Mussels

Test Articles Before Rinsing. Bio-film development is reduced in both D2 MOSI coating (second from right) and II PVDF (right).
Photo: Courtesy APV Engineered Coatings

Marine organisms such as barnacles and zebra mussels have been a long-standing nuisance to ship hulls, causing exterior damage, increased power and fuel consumption and environmental concerns. While anti-fouling coatings help to prevent biofouling,  a new research study suggests that an innovative approach to marine coatings may solve the problem of barnacle and zebra mussel fouling, an approach stems from the MOSI (Marine Organism Sensory Interference) concept.

EMEC Tidal Lease Extended

The European Marine Energy Centre has secured a lease extension on its primary tidal energy test site until 2040 from Crown Estate Scotland.The extension will support the long-term ambitions and demonstration plans of EMEC’s clients.The grid-connected Fall of Warness site has eight test berths ranging from 12-50 metres in depth. Since the site was opened in 2007, 10 tidal energy companies have tested 19 prototypes at the Fall of Warness location.Located off Eday…

Magallanes Installs Turbine at EMEC

Spanish tidal energy developer Magallanes Renovables is testing its tidal technology on a test site at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.The successful installation of their second generation (2G) 2MW tidal platform ‘ATIR’ took place on 16th February and marks a major milestone in the Ocean_2G project, which aims to test, validate and pre-certify Magallanes’ device…

Welcon to Build World's First TetraSpar Foundation

Denmark’s Welcon has received the order to produce the first TetraSpar floating offshore foundation for a consortium comprising Shell, Innogy and Stiesdal Offshore Technologies.We are very proud to be involved in this exciting project, which can be a game changer in offshore foundations for wind turbines,” Welcon said.Earlier, Innogy, Shell and Stiesdal Offshore Technologies A/S (SOT) have…

BOURBON Completes Mooring Installation at FLOATGEN

Photo: BOURBON

Earlier this month, BOURBON completed the mooring installation of the first floating wind turbine in France for Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN) as part of the European project FLOATGEN* at the SEM-REV experimental test site, off Le Croisic. The innovative mooring system using synthetic mooring lines was designed and developed by Ideol team. Significant resources, including an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel with a WROV…

Nacelle-mounted ZephIR Lidar Passes DNV-GL Verification

Photo: ZephIR

An independent performance verification of a nacelle-mounted ZephIR Lidar has been undertaken by DNV GL on the test site in Janneby, Germany which demonstrates the product is compliant with best-practice guidelines developed in the EUDP UniTTe programs – widely regarded and accepted as industry benchmarks for installations of turbine-mounted Remote Sensing Devices (RSDs). In the verification…

BOURBON to Install Mooring for Floating Wind Turbine

French offshore marine services company BOURBON said it has been awarded a contract for the mooring installation of the first floating wind turbine in France at the experimental test site of SEM-REV managed by Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN), in the context of European project FLOATGEN. The mooring installation will take place during summer 2017 based on a method jointly established by BOURBON and Ideol’s engineering teams in collaboration with the Ecole Centrale de Nantes.

US Awards $20 Mln for Wave and Tidal Energy Projects

(Photo: Energy Department)

The U.S. Energy Department announced 10 organizations have been selected to receive more than $20 million in funding for new research, development and demonstration projects that advance and monitor marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy systems, which generate electricity from ocean waves and tidal currents. These projects will aim to improve the performance of MHK systems and advance environmental…

MTS Assists Damen in Maersk Connector Sea Trials

Leading marine service provider, Marine and Towage Services Group Ltd. (MTS) has supported shipbuilder Damen during sea trials of its latest offshore cabling vessel, Maersk Connector. During the two-week testing period, MTS Vigilant, a Damen Shoalbuster, undertook essential anchor handling work to test the capabilities of the new vessel’s advanced mooring systems ahead of her handover to end client Maersk Supply Service and charterer DeepOcean.

Offshore Wind Data Campaign Underway

Photo courtesy of Oldbaum

Wind consultancy Oldbaum Services has deployed two 3D WINDCUBE 400S Scanning LiDARs as part of the wind resource assessment campaigns the company is currently conducting at two French offshore wind sites. It is reportedly the first time that such long range scanning systems are deployed for operational campaigns, after having completed third party validation tests with DTU and DNV GL. Oldbaum…

Global Marine Systems Re-enters Power Market

In a major industry announcement, Global Marine Systems Limited, the UK headquartered world leader in subsea cable route design, installation and maintenance, is re-entering the power market after a brief absence. As of 16 November 2015, Global Marine will once again be available to offshore renewables and power market customers, bringing power and fibre optic connectivity to their systems.