Live wave measurements captured off the north coast of Scotland are now accessible to public via the Pelamis Wave Power website.
Pelamis Wave Power manages the development of commercial scale wave power projects around Scotland, in parallel with other Pelamis wave farms being developed directly by customers and joint venture partners. These projects will demonstrate the feasibility of Pelamis wave farms, optimising technical performance while lowering the cost of energy generated from wave power.
The Farr Point Wave Farm, located around 5-12km off the north coast of Scotland, is a Pelamis-led development and official Competitor for the Scottish Government’s Saltire Prize. In addition to ongoing survey work and environmental assessments informing the site development process, Pelamis is currently measuring the wave resource at the site using two offshore wave rider buoys.
In December 2013 Pelamis Wave Power, in conjunction with the Environmental Research Institute based in Thurso, deployed two wave rider buoys at the Farr Point site to record accurate measurements of the wave climate. Since installation of the buoys waves almost 10 metres high have been recorded. Measurements like these enable Pelamis to predict the sea states that the wave farm will be exposed to enabling accurate projections of electricity generation, extreme conditions and help plan for operation and maintenance.
Every half-hour wave data from the buoys including height, period, wave direction and buoy location is transmitted via radio link to a shore receiver station where they are processed and saved. This wave data is now also being displayed on the Farr Point webpage as it is captured, allowing the public, including sea users such as surfers, sailors and the fishing community, to access data about the live sea conditions off the north coast.
The Farr Point Wave Farm has an Agreement for Lease from The Crown Estate for up to 50MW, and Pelamis plans to deploy up to 10 machines at the site as a first-of-kind demonstration project. Project development activities are ongoing with consent application to Marine Scotland expected to be made later in 2014.