Aegir Wave Power (Aegir), the joint venture between European energy company Vattenfall and Pelamis Wave Power, has commenced wave resource monitoring for its wave energy project off south west Shetland.
The deployment of a waverider buoy was completed with the support of the Scalloway-based NAFC Marine Centre. The Marine Centre has signed a support agreement with Aegir to assist in project development activities, which includes monitoring and maintaining the wave buoy. The Marine Centre used its newly commissioned vessel the MV Havra to carry out the operation.
David Gray, Director of the Marine Centre, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide support to Aegir with their development work as well as get involved in this very exciting project in Shetland’s waters at this early stage.”
Aegir will use the buoy to further determine how rich the wave energy resource is in the area and to inform the design of the Shetland wave farm, which will consist of up to 14 Pelamis machines. The buoy will transmit its measurement data, in real time, back to a shore receiver station at the Marine Centre where operators will also be able to monitor the position of the buoys.
The waverider buoy is a yellow float approximately 1 metre in diameter fitted with a flashing light and radio antenna. The buoy is located approximately four kilometres west of St.Ninian’s Isle. A second wave-measurement buoy is planned to be deployed later in the year to the north of the first, in order to determine the variability in the wave climate. Further details on deployments and the project can be found at: www.aegirwave.com
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Aegir is planning to install between 10 to 14 Pelamis machines to generate up to 10MW of electricity. In May this year the company was successful in securing an Agreement to Lease from The Crown Estates which allows Aegir to develop this first phase wave farm.