Mocean Energy
Edinburgh wave energy developer, Mocean Energy, deployed its scale prototype wave energy converter, the Blue X, at EMEC’s Scapa Flow test site from June to November 2021. It completed 154 days at sea, delivering steady outputs of up to 5 kW and safe instantaneous peaks of 30 kW, and operating in sea states up to 2.3 meters maximum wave height [Hs max].
The Blue X is 20-metre long and weighs 38-tonnes. It is a floating hinged raft with a unique geometry designed to improve performance and increase survivability by diving through the largest waves. It was fabricated at Fife fabricators AJS Production.
The deployment and demonstration of the Blue X at EMEC is being funded by Wave Energy Scotland and supported by Interreg North-West Europe’s Ocean DEMO project.
Mocean Energy’s Managing Director Cameron McNatt said:
“This has been an immensely valuable period where we have been able to understand how our machine operates in real sea conditions and gain practical experience in operations including towing, installation, removal, and access at sea. We’ve been able to unmoor, tow and moor the machine multiple times, trial the use of solar panels on deck, send commands from shore, test power production and compare our results against our numerical predictions.
“This has given us tremendous confidence in our design – both in its ability to capture wave energy effectively, and also the way in which it dives below the biggest waves, enabling it to shed the heaviest loads.
“Of course, we have been able to rely on the expertise of a number of partners and subcontractors and would like to thank Wave Energy Scotland, EMEC, Blackfish, Leask Marine, the University of Edinburgh and Supply Design, plus many other individuals and companies who have helped us on our way.”
“EMEC’s Scapa Flow wave energy test site is a really great site for starter testing. We’re getting about one weather system a month when we’re generating some data and we’re also getting to prove a lot of our operations and verify the performance of the machine.” – Cameron McNatt
News:
- November 2021: Mocean Energy Blue X completes sea trials at EMEC
- June 2021: Mocean Energy Blue X wave machine starts sea trials at EMEC
- April 2021: Mocean Energy unveils wave energy prototype
- January 2021: Mocean Energy edges closer to EMEC deployment
- November 2020: Ocean DEMO awards support to 12 developers for 3rd call
- August 2020: Mocean Energy Decommissioning Programme
- January 2019: Two Scots firms secure £7.7m funding to test at EMEC
