Voith Siemens Hydro and its subsidiary Wavegen have announced a deal with RWE’s UK arm npower renewables that could lead to the development of a 3 MW wave energy plant on the Hebridean island of Lewis.
The Wavegen ‘Limpet’ technology is based on an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) and has been operating commercially since 2000. The project will see the generator integrated with a new breakwater, significantly cutting civil engineering costs.
However, concerns have been raised over transmission links with Bill Langley, marine development engineer at npower renewables saying: “It should be recognised that as with any such development, there are some major hurdles to be overcome – the most significant being whether a grid connection will be available in time.”
Related ArticlesCommercial first for wave power Ocean power test site launched off Ireland Wave power prototype completes trials