IRELAND
OPERATIONAL PROJECTS
Technology from Ideas (TfI) - Technology from Ideas successfully installed and tested their elastomeric mooring tethers on a Mobilis 8000 data buoy at the Galway Bay Quarter Scale Test Site, building on previous trials at the site. The TfI system is designed to substantially reduce the loads experienced by floating devices during extreme weather events. The tethers consist of a soft elastomeric rubber component which stretches in normal sea states and stiffer thermoplastic spring components, which compress at the higher storm loads. The project demonstrated that the springs engage as expected and that the polymer mooring tethers can protect the data buoy as designed from 100 year storm scenarios.
GKinetic - GKinetic Ltd. is a Co. Limerick based developer of a submerged tidal energy device composing of twin, multi bladed, vertical axis turbines mounted either side of a tear drop shaped ‘bluff body’ that will be moored to the seabed. The concept has undergone staged development, in line with industry best practice. Previous testing has been undertaken at NUI Galway, the IFREMER flow tank facility at Boulonge-Dur-Mer in France and numerical modelling for design optimisation. GKinetic conducted a series of towing tests of a 1/10 scale version of the turbine system in Limerick Docks in late 2015 in order to understand and assess the performance of the technology.
WestWave – ESB’s WestWave project aims to develop a 5 MW wave energy project off the west coast of Ireland, at a site near Killard, Co. Clare. The current phase of the project is developing the foundations for this project to allow the capital investment and procurement phase. Ongoing activity includes securing the required permits, conducting site investigations, including detailed wave measurements, and developing the design and functional specificati on of the project. It is anticipated that applications for the site’s Foreshore Lease and onshore planning permission will be lodged in 2016.
