On the Edge of Wave Technology

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) is ready to serve as a testing ground for the world's latest wave energy devices and provide an independent analysis of their viability as reported in
Orkney on the Crest of Energy Wave, John Bowker, the Scotsman (10/2/03). The Center has the capacity to conduct four separate tests at any one time and aims to generate L500,000 a year. The Center will use the exposed Pentland Firth as a testing ground for the world’s latest wave energy devices.

The first company to use the facility will be Edinburgh-based firm Ocean Power Delivery, which is putting the finishing touches to a prototype primed for use on the UK’s first offshore wave farms. The firm’s business development director, Max Carcas, said: "EMEC has eased the development of our technology considerably - without it we would have had to apply for a high-risk capital grant. Now we can concentrate on the technology."