Wave power project going to Ireland

BELMULLET, IRELAND - A U.S. company has offered to help Ireland reach the country's 500-megawatt MW target for generating electricity from wave power.

Alternative energy investment group Rockhouse Mountain Energy LLC is teaming up with Ocean Power Technologies OPT to create a 500-MW wave energy project off Ireland's west coast. The announcement was made earlier this week at a reception of the Marine Energy and Smart Grid Technology Workshop sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland.

The goal is to construct up to 500 MW of wave power generation off the western coast of Ireland by 2020, although the exact location was not revealed. Three potential sites have been identified based on their location and ease of connection to the electricity grid.

The wave power systems to be installed will be manufactured by OPT and will be based on its proprietary PowerBuoy device.

"The excellent wave climate, the proactive support of the U.S. Embassy, and the visionary policies and plans of the Irish government, combined with OPT's planned timetable for the commercial rollout of its PB500 PowerBuoy, will allow for an OPT wave farm with a total capacity of 500 MW to be installed off the Irish coast by 2020 to meet the wave component of Ireland's Energy Plan," said Robert Jawitz, manager of RME.

George W. Taylor, the executive chairman of OPT, added: "OPT is pleased to be a part of the significant initiatives being undertaken by the Republic of Ireland to harness its plentiful renewable ocean energy resources, which complements our projects in Cornwall and Scotland. Rockhouse Mountain Energy has devoted much effort in recent years to working with the Irish government and other stakeholders to develop wave energy in Ireland."

Jawitz said OPT has the capacity to install a 40-MW wave turbine, but will start with a 5-MW wave-energy device, as this can go ahead without delay under the terms set by the Commission for Electricity Regulation.

In related news, Ireland's largest independent power producer Energia formed an agreement with U.S. company Ocean Energy Systems OES, for the use of OES' wave-energy converter WEC device. This marks Energia's debut into the fledgling wave-energy market.

The off-take agreement has a potential value of 1 million euros annually for each WEC unit being constructed. The devices have a 20-year operating life. The electricity will initially be generated from a development test site off Belmullet, County Mayo, where the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and OES are jointly developing a Wave Energy Converter prototype. The prototype will be capable of generating 12 megawatt-hours of electricity each day.

Energia currently has more than 220 MW of operational windfarms, and a further 400 MW in development.

Tom Gillen, the chief operating officer of Energia, commented, "This exciting new deal with Ocean Energy Systems is a natural step for Energia, given our longstanding commitment to renewables. There is a massive role for new energy technologies such as this in meeting Ireland's future energy needs. We look forward to growing our existing green energy client base through the use of new renewable sources such as the Wave Energy Convertor, alongside our already considerable bank of windfarms."