Newcastle University plans to make a splash in the future of wave energy conversion

The Port of Tyne’s Maritime Innovation Hub has launched a new “Innovation for Growth” programme aimed at SMEs in the North East of England.

The programme will facilitate collaborations and cross-sector technology transfer for SMEs and Universities, allowing them to access the maritime sector via data, digital, net zero and other innovations.

The MU-EDRIVE project is part of eight projects funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to build on the UK’s leading role in marine wave energy.

Wave energy is a concentrated form of solar energy. The sun heats land which results in hot air rising and causing wind, as the wind blows across the sea surface, it creates the oscillating up-down movement which can be used to generate electricity.

Led by Newcastle University’s Dr Nick Baker, MU-EDRIVE is a collaboration between Dr Serkan Turkman and Professor Jeff Neasham at Newcastle University and Professor Markus Mueller from the University of Edinburgh. It follows the successful collaboration between Edinburgh and Newcastle on the MEC-EDRIVE project funded by EPSRC as part of a previous wave energy funding call.

MU-EDRIVE aims to demonstrate the marinisation and upscaling of All Electric Drive Trains for wave energy converters. The Newcastle team will install a generator and power converter to a buoy mounted 3km off the Northumberland coast at Blyth in Spring 2024 for a 12-month period.

Once installed, the prototype WEC will provide vital operational data while testing the newest corrosion and anti-fouling technologies which will progress the understanding of the robustness of WECs in situ. The Edinburgh team will design, build and test a magnetic gear in partnership with Mocean Energy to demonstrate upscaling of electrical power take off systems.

The project will also show how marinisation and magnetic gearing technology can be scaled up to larger power levels and integrated more fully into wave energy converters.

Throughout April and May 2022, the Port of Tyne will facilitate a series of interactive “Innovation Hothouses” to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by Ports, with a focus on data, digital and decarbonisation. Participation is free, subject to a successful application, and the dates are as follows:

  • Monday 4 April – Getting to know each other (with evening meal)

  • Friday 29 April – Business Planning and Growth

  • Wednesday 20 May – Action Planning – Moving Forward

  • Wednesday 27 May – Business case development and funding

  • Wednesday 13 – Saturday 16 June – Maritime Innovation Week (Newcastle and London).

For more information about the programme and event series, download the flyer here

To apply for the programme, download the application form here

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact Ian Blake, Head of Innovation and Technology at Port of Tyne, with any questions.

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