This project is currently ongoing, and final public reporting is due to be published in Summer 2020. 

For further information on the current status, please contact the Lead Applicant.  

The HydroComp project consortium will work toward the successful demonstration of the HydroComp solution through material testing and techno-economic performance assessment using Balmoral’s (BAL) long experience in structural design, polymer materials, manufacturing and testing methods for offshore environments, CorPower Ocean (CPO) and Wave Venture (WV) expertise in numerical modelling, design load cases, system design and Levelized-Cost-of-Energy (LCOE) analysis.

CorPower Ocean, Balmoral and Wave Venture will combine their efforts to assess the viability of the Polyester/E-Glass material and the panels’ topography applied to the specific case of a prime mover of point absorber Wave Energy Converters (WEC). This will be done using an approach assessing affordability, availability, survivability, performance and impact on overall project LCOE. Specific efforts will be made to calculate the structural loads together with structural and stress analysis, working toward the optimization of the full-scale detailed design of the studied structure. Physical testing will be conducted at Balmoral facilities to assess the material behaviours and response, mitigate existing technical risks that have been identified during Stage 1 and finally validate the conclusions from stage 1 on material selection/properties. The manufacturing & logistics and the risk assessment will be refined using the detailed design and physical testing outcomes, results will be used to feed the LCOE analysis.

It is foreseen that the project will drive a step change impact on the LCOE of the wave sector by considering alternative materials, while improving the effectiveness of producing robust and cost effective prime movers.