EuropeWave
EuropeWave is a Horizon2020 funded programme, delivered by Ente Vasco de la Energía and WES, to develop and deploy multiple pre-commercial WEC systems in Scotland and the Basque region.
Lead contractor
Bombora Wave Power Europe Ltd
Sub-contractor(s)
Scuola Sant’Anna
University of Edinburgh
Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
Overview
The Bombora EuropeWave project intended to take the existing mWave technology and develop an evolution of this with the PTOs utilising a novel electroactive membrane which was expected to be robust and relatively insensitive to wave direction.
The solution combined the architecture of a floating version of the Bombora mWave wave energy converter (WEC) concept with the concept of Dielectric Elastomer Generator Power Take Off system (DEG-PTO). The ambition was that the DEG based mWave technology would become part of the product portfolio of Bombora, and lead to the delivery of environmentally friendly, utility scale energy for national electricity grids.
To deliver this project, Bombora worked alongside Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA), who are a leading academic institution which has conducted world class research into the development of dielectric elastomeric membranes.
Phase 1
July 2022
The design for a floating version of the Bombora WEC solution progressed, while the DEG technology was developed in parallel. Tank testing was undertaken of a floating platform, to gain greater understanding of its stability in relevant conditions and to capture data that could be used for model validation, while a separate tank testing campaign was completed with a submerged DEG membrane. The project had to overcome several challenges due to the novelty of the DEG solution, but the resulting outputs offered a greater understanding of the opportunities this technology may afford, and identified actions that could advance their readiness.Where to next?
Explore our other programmes, or find out more about how we operate.
About Wave Energy Scotland
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