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Oceanflow wins WATERS-2 funding for twin-turbine Evopod™

29/08/2012

Twin Turbine Evopod

Oceanflow Development Limited has been successful in winning WATERS-2 (Wave and Tidal Energy R&D Support) funding from Scottish Enterprise for the development of a twin-turbine variant of its floating, tethered Evopod™ technology.

This latest award follows WATERS-1 funding in 2010 to demonstrate Oceanflow's mono-turbine device, a quarter scale version of which is currently being constructed by Renfrew-based fabricators Steel Engineering. It will be the second version of Evopod™ to be connected to the national grid and will be deployed later in the year in Sanda Sound, South Kintyre.

Graeme Mackie, Oceanflow's Managing Director, said:

"This funding support from Scottish Enterprise will help us to take a further step along the staged demonstration of our Evopod™ semi-submerged turbine technology. It enables us to track the outputs and economics of power generation from a twin-turbine Evopod™ in the harsh but energetic waters around the Scottish coastline for which it has been specifically developed."

"The beauty of Evopod™ is that it is easier to install and maintain than devices positioned on the seabed. This means that it is more cost effective to install and to operate and any problems can be quickly and easily addressed."

Oceanflow is currently looking for a large industrial partner and this search is led by the London based Merchant Bank Turquoise International

Note to Editors

  1. Oceanflow Development Limited is a Scottish based subsidiary of Oceanflow Energy Limited, a marine renewable technology development company based near Newcastle upon Tyne. The company has followed a staged programme of research and development into tidal stream energy recovery based around its floating semi-submerged turbine support platform that is simpler to install and easier to access for maintenance than more conventional bottom mounted turbines.
  2. The deployment of the community energy scale device in Sanda Sound received a boost in July 2010 when the company was successful in winning Scottish Enterprise funding support through its WATERS (Wave and Tidal Energy R&D Support) fund
  3. Oceanflow's technology involves a floating low-motion platform that supports a horizontal axis turbine coupled to a generator housed in a watertight nacelle, much like a wind turbine only submerged. The device is tethered to the seabed with an innovative mooring system that ensures that the device always points into the flow whether on the flood or ebb tide. Oceanflow has secured patent rights to its platform and mooring solution both in the UK and overseas. Oceanflow has been testing a 1/10th scale mono-turbine version of its device in Strangford Narrows since 2009.
  4. The key differentiator with Oceanflow's technology over most other tidal turbines is the simplicity of its deployment and recovery. The company recognises that, like offshore wind turbines, the ease of access for maintenance is central to achieving good economic performance with tidal turbines and this has formed the focus of the company's technology development from the outset. For more information on Oceanflow and its tidal technology visit www.oceanflowenergy.com

For further information

Alistair Mackie, Oceanflow Development Ltd, Alistair@OceanflowDevelopment.com

www.oceanflowenergy.com

For the Scottish Government's press release for the announcement of the WATERS-2 finding see the following link

http://www.scotland.gov.uk