Isra-Mart srl : Squid-like device aims to harness power of Scottish waves

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Scotland's leading marine energy test centre has opened its doors to a new generation of developers to test prototype machines, one of which is aiming to harness wave energy using a design based on the humble squid.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) yesterday announced the opening of two new berths specifically designed for smaller prototype machines, which will operate in addition to its existing offshore test sites for full-size devices.

One of those berths has already been secured by a Scottish company called AlbaTERN, which will test a 10kW modular wave energy converter called SQUID this summer.

Speaking to BusinessGreen, David Findlay, chief technical operator at AlbaTERN, said the company has ambitious plans to deploy a 10MW array within six years, despite SQUID being at an earlier stage of development than some of the larger devices currently being tested off the coast of Scotland.

"We've done some small-scale open water testing around the coast of Scotland ... but this is the big one to go up at EMEC," he said.

SQUID, which looks somewhat reminiscent of its namesake, has an inflatable absorber similar to a large balloon which fills with sea water. Sitting just under the surface, the absorber is moved by passing waves and the energy from this motion drives a generator to produce electricity.

Findlay, a mechanical engineer who once worked with marine power expert Professor Stephen Salter, said he believed that SQUID's modular structure will prove attractive to investors, as the design should make it easy to mass produce devices capable of supporting off-grid communities, such as those on the Western Isles of Scotland.

"We can tailor it to suit different wave climates and energy demands, so anything from 10kW, or if you want 500kW you can have that," he added.

Findlay refused to reveal how much investment has gone into the project so far, saying only that most of the money has come from private funding with some coming through grant support from the Scottish government.

However, the company is now aiming to raise between £1.5m and £2m for the next testing stage.

The news was announced at a renewable energy conference in Aberdeen yesterday, where Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond also revealed that EMEC will partner with the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in Nova Scotia, Canada, to collaborate on the ongoing development of marine energy technologies.

"That pooling of resources and skills between Scotia Old and Scotia New should move this exciting sector even further forward as we approach the stage where large arrays become a reality," he said.

"This can help unlock as much as £6bn of investment, highlighted in a technical report [from the Crown Estate] to deliver the world's only commercially leased wave and tidal projects in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters."

The report, published yesterday by BVG Associates, is part of the Crown Estate's £5.7m programme to accelerate and 'de-risk' the development for the Scottish marine leasing round.