Wave Energy Experts to Wet Their Feet

A team of European experts, led by WavEC- Offshore Renewables (Portugal), has been awarded €3.450 millions in the scope of the European Commission’s competitive Horizon 2020 programme, to develop a new project – WETFEET.

Using as a starting point the identification of the major constraints that have been delaying wave energy’s progress, WETFEET analyses key pressing issues (technical, economic, financial and environmental) that need to be addressed in order to improve the whole sector.

The project will look into and develop new materials and components to be incorporated in wave energy devices. Core aspects such as reliability of technical components, system survivability, high development costs and risks, long time to market, as well as industrial scalability of technologies are among the major concerns that will be targeted. Besides developing new materials and components, WETFEET will also consider cross-cutting aspects such as logistics and supply chain, as well as environmental issues and societal concerns.

Having substantial insight into successes and drawbacks in past developments and concepts, the promoters identify breakthrough features that address the above mentioned aspects. Although these breakthroughs will be developed in the scope of two specific wave energy concepts, the Oscillating Water Column and the Symphony, they will be applicable to a significant number of wave energy concepts, thus setting an important step forward for the entire sector. Technoeconomic analysis and partial comparative analysis of the different breakthroughs and possible breakthrough combinations are equally foreseen.

This three-year project comprises teams from Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.