Trident Energy, the independent developer of generator solutions for the offshore renewable energy industry, announced that it has been awarded a Scottish Enterprise SMART: SCOTLAND R&D grant to help fund the forthcoming sea trials of its linear generator technology.
Together with on-going commitments from existing investors and new funding, the £225k SMART: SCOTLAND grant will enable the company to test its PowerPod technology in the water. This is a key next step in the commercialisation of Trident Energy’s low-cost, high reliability generator which converts sea wave motion directly into electricity, without the need for expensive gearboxes or hydraulics. The company intends to carry out the trials attached to a deep water pier later this year and has already identified several suitable sites.
Steve Packard , Chief Executive Officer of Trident Energy , said: “We have recently completed extensive onshore testing of the prototypes that we will use for sea trials. These have confirmed that the linear generator can meet the power levels required by commercial offshore energy applications.
“The tests have also allowed us to validate the computer models developed under our RenewNet collaboration agreement with the world-leading Institute of Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh. I am looking forward to taking Trident Energy’s technology offshore to gather operational and performance data under real environmental conditions. In parallel, we will use our validated models to design the commercial version of our generator technology.”
Trident Energy’s PowerPod can be used to reduce the cost and improve the environmental performance of a wide range of offshore energy applications. For instance, offshore wind turbines currently use diesel generators to provide power before they are grid connected. The supply of diesel fuel offshore is much more expensive than onshore.
Individual PowerPods can be used as a cheaper, carbon free alternative. Multiple PowerPods can be co-located with wind turbines, allowing grid export electricity to be generated from both wind and waves using the same common infrastructure. PowerPod is also an ideal generator for use in wave energy devices.
Lena Wilson , Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise said, “Trident Energy continues to push its marine energy innovation, underlining Scotland’s reputation as a world leader in the renewables industry. It’s great to see a Scottish company investing in its innovation at this time, when economic conditions are still challenging. We need more companies to be bold in their growth ambitions, focus on their competitive advantage, and invest in their growth now to get Scotland’s economy moving again.”
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Offshore WIND staff, May 21, 2012; Image: Trident Energy