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Further boost to South West marine energy research
29 October 2009
The South West's ambition to be a global centre
for marine energy research has received a further boost with a £1.2
million investment in a new wave tank testing facility.
The wave tanks are being funded by the South West RDA (Regional
Development Agency) as part of the Agency's three-year £7.3 million
investment in the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable
Energy (PRIMaRE), and will be located at the University of
Plymouth.
The facility will be unique in the UK because it will allow
model testing in both multi-directional waves and variable
direction currents, and will also be able to model shallow and deep
water conditions. It will enable the testing of scale models of
wave and tidal energy devices individually and in arrays.
PRIMaRE is a £12.6 million project set up two years ago by the
Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, with funding from the South
West RDA.
It boasts 15 world-class academic staff and 60 researchers
dedicated to the support and development of the marine renewable
energy sector. PRIMaRE, and the wave tank facility, support and
complement the South West RDA's pioneering £42 million Wave Hub
project, which will create the world's largest wave energy test
site 10 miles of the Cornish coast and will be commissioned next
year.
The investment has been welcomed by Business Minister Lord
Drayson who said: "This wave tank will play to the UK's strengths -
science, engineering, waves and tides - to help us establish a
global lead in developing the technologies necessary to produce
this renewable energy supply. Wave technology will be key to future
of energy generation and the South West, the UK's first Low Carbon
Economic Area, has the potential and expertise to make this
happen."
Jonny Boston, the South West RDA's Offshore Renewable Energy
Manager, said: "This new laboratory will be a first in the UK and
will offer the marine renewables industry a state of the art test
facility backed by the considerable academic and research expertise
of PRIMaRE. It is the latest step in our ambition to be a global
centre for marine energy research."
Dr Deborah Greaves, Reader in Coastal and Marine Engineering at
the University of Plymouth and one of the lead academics at
PRIMaRE, said: "The proposed new wave tank testing facility is
already generating quite a stir in the marine renewables industry
because of the full range of testing that it will offer. Not only
can we test the performance of wave and tidal devices, but we can
also model how these devices might impact on coastal
conditions."
The main wave tank at the facility will measure 35 metres by 15
metres and be 2 metres deep. It is expected to be completed in
early 2012.
Ends
For more information contact Jason Clark, on 01208-77900 or via
jason.clark@dca-pr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
1. The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable
economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It is
helping companies respond to the economic crisis and charts a
course for recovery. The RDA is developing or expanding initiatives
which include: establishing a Business Loan Fund; coordinating the
response to large companies in difficulty; preparing for economic
recovery.
2. PRIMaRE is a virtual institute with staff based at the
University of Plymouth and at the Tremough campus near Falmouth,
part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, where the
University of Exeter is a partner.
3. The South West RDA initially invested £1.4m in PRIMaRE in
2007 to allow for the recruitment of academic staff. The RDA's
total investment will be £7.3m over three years, including today's
announcement. Further funding has come from the ERDF (European
Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme in Cornwall
(£4.2m) and the ERDF Competiveness Programme (£1.1m) in the rest of
the South West.
4. In July the UK Government designated South West England as
the UK's first Low carbon Economic Area in recognition of its
marine energy resource, expertise and growth potential.