Ocean DEMO supports 6 developers at OEE2021

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Advanced Ocean Technology
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The EU-funded Ocean DEMO project has awarded recommendations for support to 6 offshore renewable energy developers under its 4th call. The awards support developers on their path to commercialisation and ease the transition of ocean energy towards multi-device farms by providing free access to open sea test sites. This announcement comes at the start of the OEE2021 Conference & Exhibition, where attendees will learn more about the project at the Ocean DEMO stand and official side event.

Funded by Interreg North-West Europe, Ocean DEMO is a €13 million project aiming to accelerate ocean energy’s transition from single prototype to multi-device farms by providing free access to world-leading test centres: EMEC (UK), DMEC (NL), SEM REV (FR) and SmartBay (IE).

Successful applicants receive free access to test their ocean energy products and services in real sea environments at the project’s network of test centres. Technology developers applied for support packages to test multi-device farms or single devices looking to scale up to multi-device in the future.

The following technology developers were recommended for support packages under the 4th call by the Ocean DEMO Selection Board, and two of them already started testing in real sea conditions.

  • Aquantis to build and test simplified AQ08 prototype at EMEC.
  • Dutch Wave Power to validate, test and demonstrate a 1:3 scale WEC prototype at DMEC.
  • LHYFE Labs to design and install the first offshore electrolysis unit in the world to be operated from shore at SEM REV.
  • MOCEAN Energy’s extended testing of its Blue X wave energy converter at EMEC’s Scapa Flow test site. 
  • OV Wind to develop a concrete floating platform for the offshore wind industry at SmartBay.
  • University of Edinburgh to test a system for the measurement of 3D fluid velocities in dynamic coastal waters at EMEC.

The support packages provide a real boost to technology developers by allowing them to test their pioneering ocean energy technologies at sea. It also helps them attract further investment and move along the path to commercialisation.

Koen Donkers, Business & Innovation Advisor at DMEC, said:

‘We reviewed the applications for Ocean DEMO’s 4th call with great interest. The project’s already promising pipeline will be strengthened by demonstrating these marine energy technologies in real sea conditions. After a fruitful 2021, this 4th call will help 2022 become another successful year of deployments for the Ocean DEMO project.’