Marine Renewable Energy

Test Facilities

EMEC, Orkney

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) is located in Orkney. They have 2 test sites, a wave site located outside Stromness on the mainland and a tidal test site located off the island of Eday. As the first centre of its kind to be created anywhere in the world, their role is to support the development of wave and tidal energy devices and to aid the evolution of the technology from the prototype stage into the commercial market place.

www.emec.org.uk

NaREC, Northumberland

NaREC has developed a number of facilities for the testing of smaller prototype devices. Dry docks have been converted for both wave and tidal technologies.

www.narec.co.uk

QinetiQ, Gosport

QinetiQ's Ocean Basin (122 x 61 x 5.5m) and Towing Tank (270 x 12 x 5.5m) are being used for testing full scale wave and tidal energy devices in controlled conditions. They both have wave makers, and are on the south coast near Portsmouth.

www.qinetiq.com/hydrodynamics

RegenSW, Wave Hub

RegenSW have been looking into the possibility of developing a 'Wave Hub' concept off the South West coast of England. The intention is to create a testing facility for devices in arrays that will complement a national program of industrial development and aid the learning process for developers.

www.regensw.co.uk

Wavegen

Wavegen's advanced tank testing facility is suited to R&D in areas such as coastal fixed and offshore and coastal waters as well as marine renewable energy systems.

The tank is complemented by numerical modelling and the waverider buoy, allowing site specific testing.

For further information about hiring the tank contact Wavegen on 01463 238094.