Wave Energy System Certification Helps Push the Industry Forward
Seabased Group has signed an agreement with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) to design and implement a testing programme supporting Seabased’s certification goal for its latest generation wave-to-grid wave energy park technology.
Certification will pave the way for quality-controlled manufacture. A certified process will enable a reduction in manufacturing costs, logistics and transport, a faster track to local permitting and insurance, and an opportunity for Seabased to generate local jobs and training for future maintenance of their systems.
The collaboration has been part funded by the Interreg North Sea Region Ocean Energy Scale-up Alliance (OESA) project, which is an accelerator programme for the deployment of large scale marine energy pilots.
EMEC to advise on third-party certification
Seabased previously proved both the wave energy converter technology and wave-to-grid system in multi-generator demonstration parks in Sweden and Ghana. The next step in working with EMEC is a huge move forward for both the company and the developing wave sector.
EMEC will review the Seabased technology, and advise on options to meet its certification objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner. The resulting certification strategy will ensure that their future test programme is aligned with its certification objectives and that the evidence from past and future testing is compiled in the most effective manner.
Independent third-party certification of the design and technical performance of the Seabased system will ensure that the design meets the highest global standards and will validate the system’s performance.
“EMEC is a premier facility and is accredited for marine energy testing. They understand our industry and we trust their expertise,” said Seabased CEO Laurent Albert. “Certification is a complex process that marks a new level of maturity in an industry whose time has come to take its place among renewables. This partnership is one important step toward the realisation of that goal.”
“We are delighted to be working with Seabased,” said Elaine Buck, EMECs Technical Manager. “This is a great opportunity to help advance the emerging wave energy sector which has such potential to provide clean, renewable energy to the world. And it’s great to be working with a company that is advancing wave power and is so committed to delivering performance for its customers.”
Seabased generators headed for deployment at Sotenas, Sweden