Engineering Business Ltd. (EB, Newcastle, England) and Lancaster University have signed an agreement to start commercial development of the Frond wave generator. The Frond is one of a number of wave generator concepts developed by the university, which has shown promise during testing of scale models.
A floating, paddle-like, collector surface is located on the end of a long lever to capture wave movement. The lower end of the lever drives a hydraulic power system that is fixed to the seabed, and the floating section can rotate to face prevailing waves at all times. EB also developed a 180-ton demonstrator of the Stingray tidal stream generator, which is being installed in Yell Sound of the Shetland Islands.
"With the Stingray project, we have made substantial progress in 12 months and learned a great deal about the realities of designing, building and installing oscillating, renewable, offshore power generators in a real off-shore environment," stated Managing Director Tony Trapp. "Running parallel tidal- and wave-power development programs, we hope to make a significant contribution to 'wet', renewable, offshore power generation."
