Wave energy advances

Scottish technology development specialist, 4c Engineering, will collaborate with Basque and Irish firms to develop innovative wave energy convertor (WEC) technology. The Inverness Campus based firm has partnered with Irish Waveram Limited (the project lead contractor), and Basque R&D expert Tecnalia, to develop the “Waveram” project. Funding was secured in a competitive procurement process for one of seven slots in the EuropeWave programme for the further development of the Waveram wave energy technology.

The opportunity

Almost exactly one year ago, it was announced that the Basque Country and Scotland were planning to launch the EuropeWave project, a five-year collaborative R&D programme, in a partnership between Wave Energy Scotland (WES) and the Basque Energy Agency (EVE). Match-funded by the European Commission via its Horizon2020 programme, this transnational collaboration will channel almost €20 million to procure the most promising wave energy technology solutions from developers across Europe and beyond.

Track record of Scottish-Basque and Scottish-Irish collaboration

Although based on the periphery of Europe, the Highlands of Scotland has a strong track record of maritime links with continental Europe stretching back thousands of years. More recently 4c Engineering has collaborated with Basque partners Ditrel and Tecnalia on the Wave Energy Scotland (WES) funded “Quick Connection System” programme, and with Seapower, an Irish company in two stages of WES’s demanding “Novel Wave Energy Converter” programme.

Bringing the threads together

When 4c Engineering saw this new call being announced, the team reached out to its previous collaboration partner Tecnalia, which made the introduction to William Dick of Waveram Ltd of Ireland. From these early conversations, a consortium of Waveram (Dublin, Ireland), Tecnalia (Basque Region, Spain) & Core Marine (Madrid, Spain) and 4c Engineering (Highlands, Scotland) was formed to structure a project and apply to the EuropeWave programme.

Exciting project

The consortium has been awarded €291,000 in funding for the 7 month Phase 1 project to develop Waveram’s WEC technology. The Phase 1 project will involve design, physical prototyping, numerical simulation, and the deployment of a scale model in the world-leading FloWave tank testing facility in Edinburgh to investigate survival and performance characteristics, and to demonstrate the potential for further development in the subsequent phases of the EuropeWave programme that will culminate in the open-sea deployment in the final phase.

Commenting on the project, Peter MacDonald, Director of 4c Engineering said: “The barriers to collaboration are higher now than they ever have been for 4c Engineering, with the double hit of Brexit and Covid threatening our ability to collaborate with European partners, which makes the importance of this joint project even more significant. It’s a clear demonstration that an engineering company based in the Highlands of Scotland can still work with our valued partners from across Europe, and it’s particularly satisfying to be reinforcing 4c Engineering’s existing links with Ireland and the Basque Region.”

William Dick of Waveram added: “This EuropeWave project will provide a most welcome challenge to press ahead with a breakthrough technology, now patented worldwide.  Our best thanks to our excellent partners in Inverness, Bilbao and Madrid who have made this opportunity a reality.”

Pablo Ruiz-Minguela, of Tecnalia, which is leading the project management said: “We are very happy to offer our expertise in managing highly innovative European projects in the field of ocean energy. The long-standing knowledge of consortium partners about wave energy simulation, engineering, physical testing, offshore operations planning and commercialisation will be key to achieving a cost-efficient technology.”

At 4c Engineering our main focus is on technology development. We use our engineering skills to deliver solutions to new and challenging problems. Based in Inverness, Scotland we have significant experience in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, technology development, prototyping and industrial design, working in sectors as diverse as life sciences, forestry and marine energy.