A new four-metre-high device, built and installed by local company MPM North West Ltd, is being tested to assess its capabilities of generating electricity using wave power off Maryport coast.
C-Cell, a curved paddle which has the capacity to double the energy which can currently be captured from ocean waves, has received funding from the Renewable Energy Test and Education Centre (RETEC), an initiative to support research into innovative, low carbon energy technologies, hosted by the University of Cumbria.
RETEC has been funded with £150,000 received from Britain’s Energy Coast in partnership with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
John Berry from the University of Cumbria is overseeing the project and explains:
“Renewable energy from wave power is a real opportunity and it is great to have a company who are so proficient in marine environments to build this innovative device, which is capable of not only harnessing the power of the sea, but also has the strength to stand up to the elements.”
If the test results for the prototype are encouraging then MPM North West could go on to build more devices for installation around the UK, with the design and manufacture taking place at their premises in Maryport.
The device is expected to be on site for around a year whilst trials are conducted.