Wave Power Prototype to Provide Subsea Power

A project is underway to develop a renewable energy system for subsea power.

Renewable technology company Mocean Energy, energy major Chrysaor, subsea energy storage company EC-OG and AUV specialist Modus are participating and funding the project along with the Oil and Gas Technology Centre.

The system will employ Mocean Energy’s Blue Star wave energy converter and EC-OG’s HALO subsea energy storage system to power subsea tiebacks or residential AUVs. If industry feedback is positive, the partners will press ahead with a technology field trial using a Mocean Energy prototype in the seas off Orkney later this year.

Once proven, these technologies could provide vital backup power in case of umbilical failure, with potential to provide green power for future fleets of autonomous AUVs engaged in survey and inspection work.

Last year, Mocean Energy secured £3.3 million from Wave Energy Scotland to build and test a half-scale version of their technology at sea. Blue Horizon is a hinged raft with a unique geometry which flexes in two dimensions via a relatively slow-moving single hinge. The device, currently being fabricated, uses the University of Edinburgh’s C-GEN technology to provide the power take-off. C-GEN is a novel direct-drive generator which is highly efficient over a wide range of wave conditions.