In 2023 Wave Energy Scotland (WES) commissioned Offshore Wind Consultants (OWC) to deliver a study examining the benefits of sharing space, infrastructure, services and supply chain between floating wind and wave energy farms. This showed significant potential LCOE benefits to both technologies, along with wider technical and socio-economic benefits. Exploitation of these benefits requires innovative technologies and approaches to be developed and implemented. WES wishes to co-fund project(s) which build upon these findings and demonstrate benefit to the wind energy sector as well as wave.
Artist impression of potential wave/FoW co-location. Credit: Mocean Energy.
Scope:
WES wishes to co-fund a project to deliver a deeper understanding of the time varying resources at a site suitable for both wind and wave deployment. This includes analysis of wind and wave resource data at a range of specific wind farm locations within the UK development pipeline (primarily ScotWind and INTOG) to understand the potential value (financial and technical) of export cable sharing between co-located wind and wave farms, relative to separate arrays, while optimising for different parameters. The analysis should be based on resource data (measured or modelled) for a real site and technology data representative of the state-of-the-art. WES will collaborate with successful projects to develop appropriate assumptions.
The study should examine, for example, the balance of installed capacity for the wind and wave farm
with a view to:
- Minimising total installed capacity per kWh exported,
- Minimising total installed capacity per £ income generated,
- Minimising overall LCOE,
- Smoothing electricity output profile to the grid or other end use such as storage or hydrogen
production while
-Maximising electricity price
-Maximising cable utilisation
Eligibility
For this call, full proposals are invited from eligible UK researchers, i.e., applicants based in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Research Council Institutes and Centres, and Independent Research Organisations (IROs) approved by UKRI. Potential applicants should contact the Supergen ORE Hub in advance of the submission deadline if they have any queries concerning their eligibility. Sub-contracting is not permitted – please see our FAQ section of the Hub website for our definition of sub-contracting.
Individuals may submit no more than one proposal as principal investigator plus one as co-investigator, or two as co-investigator, to this call. Principal and co-investigators within the Supergen ORE Hub may not apply.
To apply, and for full guidance click here.
Closed Calls
Wave Energy Scotland (WES) invites interested organisations to enter the Direct Generation Concept Design Competition.
Electrostatic power conversion technologies, such as Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) and Dielectric Fluid Generators (DFGs), have the potential to enable a completely new class of wave energy converters (WECs). The simplified architecture of these WECs would be flexible, have the generation distributed throughout and deliver Direct Generation from ocean wave to electrical output, in one functional metamaterial.
Development of scalable, reliable, and high-performance electrostatic power conversion technologies for application to wave energy will require cross-sector collaboration, technology transfer and clear understanding of R&D requirements. WES is creating the vision, strategy and direction to support enabling R&D in this area, starting with the WES Direct Generation Concept Design Competition.
What are the aims of the competition?
Direct Generation Concept Design Competition projects will:
- Design concepts for flexible wave energy converters based on optimal exploitation of electrostatic power conversion technologies, primarily Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) and Dielectric Fluid Generators (DFGs)
- Guide future enabling R&D in materials, metamaterials and direct generation module development by defining research requirements and targets
- Evaluate the benefits of a new class of wave energy converter, relative to the current state-of-the-art
- Build teams to progress flexible wave energy, drive technology transfer and participate in future collaborative R&D programmes
The competition is open to all, including individual companies, but applying as part of a group (consortium) will strengthen your application. Assembling a project team would include capability in areas such as wave energy, flexible materials, flexible electronics, manufacturing processes, soft robotics and actuation systems.
Anyone interested in being part of a consortium can register on the brokerage platform.
Important information
- Monday 24th July 2023 competition opens.
- Pre-proposal submissions to be sent to info@waveenergyscotland.co.uk by Friday 18th August 2023 12.00pm (BST/UK/London time) with subject line Direct Generation Design Concept Competition.
- WES will then invite up to 15 teams to go forward to full proposal submission. The full submission process will be open from 28th August to the 22nd September 2023. Full call guidance document, response forms and example agreement will be released on the WES website in advance of the brokerage event.
- Eligible teams will be led by UK registered organisations but can include partners from the EU, EFTA and USA. Find partners by using our free brokerage tool. A physical Brokerage Event was held in in Edinburgh on Wednesday 26th July 2023 – please see the recording of the introductory presentation here and a Q&A here (updated on 17/08/2023)
- WES will select up to 5 projects each to a value of up to £50k, to be administered as a grant at up to 100% of eligible costs.
- Expected Project duration 12-14 weeks, starting at the end of October 2023
Check out our direct generation video which gives more details on the benefits of the technology as well as some examples.
The EuropeWave project is inviting wave energy developers to apply for funding via its innovative pre-commercial procurement (PCP) programme. The five-year collaborative programme has opened its competitive call for tenders, which will see several wave energy projects selected for the first stage of ‘concept development’.
The call will be open until 1 October 2021. A free-of-charge webinar will be held on 13 July, to provide potential applicants with full details of the call requirements, eligibility conditions and evaluation criteria. An online brokerage tool is also available until 20 July, to facilitate consortia building.
The three-stage process will award R&D service contracts to companies or consortia who are involved in the development of wave energy converters (WECs) and their components. After each stage is completed, the best of the competing solutions will be selected from within the group to progress to the following phase.
Concepts will be assessed according to strict technical and economic performance metrics, and the best performers will be demonstrated in Basque and Scottish open waters at the end of the programme. The programme will focus on the design, development, and demonstration of cost-effective wave energy converter (WEC) systems for electrical power production that can survive in the harsh and unpredictable ocean environment.
Tim Hurst of Wave Energy Scotland (WES), the organisation who first pioneered the PCP approach for wave energy, said: “Today is an important step for the wave energy sector. EuropeWave is designed to pick out the technological frontrunners and propel them – and the sector as a whole - towards commercialisation. We are excited to take this highly successful procurement model and scale it up via a transnational project across Europe.”
The EuropeWave PCP programme is based on similar programmes implemented by Wave Energy Scotland. The approach fosters greater openness, collaboration and sharing of risk between the public sector and technology developers through three key elements: a PCP funding model; structured innovation – a stage-gated industrial development process; and, internationally agreed performance standards and metrics.
EuropeWave is a partnership between Wave Energy Scotland, the Basque Energy Agency and Ocean Energy Europe. The project will provide almost €20 million to procure the most promising wave energy technologies from across Europe and beyond. Its PCP model provides a structured approach, fostering greater openness, collaboration and sharing of risk between the public sector and technology developers.
More information about the tender and a link to the applicant portal can be found on the EuropeWave website: www.europewave.eu.
Wave Energy Scotland has just launched a funding Call for Quick Connection systems. The new programme will support projects for the design and development of a remotely operated, rapid connection/disconnection system for wave energy converters, with the aim of reducing the duration, cost and risk of offshore operations. Such a system will be an integral element of the mooring system, the electrical system, or both. In this case, the electrical system is expected to include the provision for wired communications within the electrical cable.
Development of this system must consider the unique challenges of wave energy, including operations in energetic, epipelagic environments, and balancing the impacts of the connector on the system dynamics and energy yield. The time on site and vessel requirements must also be considered. The expected end users of the technology developed through this programme are likely to be prototype developers and test centres, rather than developers of commercial scale arrays.
Elements to be considered in the development of this technology include the process of connection/disconnection, integration, reliability of the connection, fail-safe mode(s), weather windows for marine operations, and time to undertake the operation.
Successful applicants to the call will undertake a feasibility study on their proposed technical solution in Stage 1, followed by the design and analysis of this technical solution in Stage 2 and to build & test in Stage 3.
Contracts for Stage 1 projects will be up to £70,000 + VAT.
Further information and application process here: http://tiny.cc/QuickConnect
In order for Wave Energy Scotland to ensure projects with the most promise are selected for support, independent external experts may be called upon to assist with carrying out assessment of stage gate applications and to complement the WES team during the decision-making processes.
Each application to the stage gate will require to be evaluated by a panel of individuals with the relevant technical skills and experience, to determine the projects which merit support. WES is therefore seeking a number of individuals to support the evaluation process for the control systems stage gate.
The assessors will be required to read and independently evaluate a number of applications, covering both technical and commercial elements, following the guidance provided by WES and Highlands and Islands Enterprise(HIE). Written and verbal feedback/analysis of applications will be provided to WES/HIE following completion of the evaluation period. Attendance will be required at evaluation meeting(s) in Inverness, where the applications will be discussed.
Indicative dates for these meetings are 15-17th April 2019.
Those appointed must be able to demonstrate relevant and up to date technical knowledge, skills and experience, specifically relating to control systems.
Further information can be found via Public Contracts Scotland
WES is preparing the stage gate process for NWEC stage 2 projects to compete to progress to stage 3. Stage 2 of the NWEC programme will be completed by mid-September 2018. The process will be similar to stage gates previously run by WES, where projects are assessed on the basis of responses to an application form covering results from stage 2 and plans for stage 3.
Each application within the stage gate will require to be evaluated by a panel of individuals with the relevant technical skills and experience, to determine the projects which merit support. To ensure adequate technical expertise is available during the assessment of applications, WES is seeking to engage suitably qualified and experienced individuals who can provide independent, impartial expert advice and will read and independently evaluate a number of applications, covering both technical and commercial elements.
Further information is available on PCS here.
WES requires up to 3 suitably qualified and experienced individuals to provide technical expertise during the assessment of applications to the stage 2 of the Structural Materials and Manufacturing Processes (SMMP) Programme. The purpose of the SMMP Programme is to investigate whether it is possible to make a step change impact in the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) by constructing typical wave energy converter devices from alternative materials. See Scope of Requirements for full details.
This Innovation funding call opened 5th April and will be open for applications over ten weeks until 12th June.
The webinar can be watched again here.
One company can apply to the call with Control Systems project proposals, but it is expected that smaller concerns assemble a consortia to bid for project awards. The brokerage event is specifically designed to facilitate this process. It is being held in Edinburgh on Friday May 12th. A website sign up is available for companies to upload profiles and arrange meetings at this event.
The Power Take Off closed on 22 May 2015.
Contracts were awarded by end of June 2015
Information webinar
The information webinar provided potential applicants with the opportunity to seek clarification on the proposal.
The webinar can be viewed below.
This competition awarded technology development contracts for projects that:
- Provided a step change in the capital cost and/or efficiency/performance over current technology;
- Delivered a highly reliable PTO via high quality engineering and technology risk management;
- Delivered a PTO that can be easily integrated into different wave energy converters (WECs) and WEC device families; and
- Delivered a PTO which could stimulate a new form of Wave Energy converter being developed.
Eight awards were made from this call.
The competition awarded technology development contracts for:
- New concepts which have been through initial feasibility work, with data confirming the scientific, technical and engineering research.
- Pre-existing devices with significant configuration changes which improve performance.
- Projects which will satisfy the long term aims and objectives of Wave Energy Scotland and will have potential to produce a scale prototype device.
An information webinar took place at 0930 on the 18 of June where potential applicants were able to clarify any points on the programme stages.
The International Energy Agency’s 2012 Energy Technology Perspectives forecasts up to 337GW of marine energy capacity could be deployed across the world, with about 70% from wave energy, by 2050. The UK has created and retains world leading expertise in academia where we continue to progress research into wave and tidal energy.
Industry and researchers are making strong progress towards reliable, cost-effective wave energy technologies, however to become a viable part of the long-term energy mix, wave energy must continue to strive for Levelised Cost of Energy reductions beyond those which are achievable through application of traditional technologies and architectures. Alternative technologies have the potential to contribute significantly to this objective.
Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has identified a range of potential alternative technologies for the conversation of wave energy to utility-scale electricity. This project, which will be supported by WES, will add scientific rigor by adding structure, depth and analysis to create a structured technology development roadmap for the most attractive of these technologies.
Closed Activities
We have an exciting 3-6 months placement opportunity for a candidate to report on the opportunities for ocean energy in Scottish waters, with a particular focus on wave energy.
The candidate is expected to consider a number of factors, including the end uses for the energy captured (for example grid-connected utility scale, niche applications, hydrogen production, etc.), and the opportunities from supply chain collaborations and crossover with other technologies and industry developments. Interpretation may also consider the co-location of wave energy deployments with other infrastructure and offshore renewable technologies in consented sites.
To find out more, visit: https://bit.ly/3v0ZkzI
EuropeWave is looking for independent experts to take part in the assessment of applications to its PCP programme.
These experts will provide an impartial assessment of the technical and commercial aspects of applications, both to the first phase and the subsequent stages of the programme. They will take part in evaluation committee meetings, and provide feedback and analysis of the applications.
Applications must be made via the Public Contracts Scotland portal, where you can also find all relevant documentation. Please click on ‘record your interest’ to download the documents and submit your application.
The call closes on 20 August 2021.
£160k ex VAT is available for 2 further short projects that will help shape our future research and development programmes. These remaining two contracts will involve ‘horizon scanning’ to understand opportunities in very large scale wave energy converters and alternative generation techniques.
The scope of requirements and other information is now available from PCS.
WES is preparing the Stage Gate process for PTO stage 2 projects to compete to progress to stage 3. It is anticipated that applications for the stage gate will will open in mid-October 2017 with completed applications being returned in December 2017. The process will be similar to stage gates previously run by WES, where projects are assessed on the basis of responses to an application form covering results from stage 2 and plans for stage 3.
Each application within the stage gate will require to be evaluated by a panel of individuals with the relevant technical skills and experience, to determine the projects which merit support. To ensure adequate technical expertise is available during the assessment of applications, WES wishes to engage with suitably qualified and experienced individuals who can provide independent, impartial expert advice and will read and independently evaluate a number of applications, covering both technical and commercial elements. A visit to contractors would also be undertaken to ensure familiarity with the technology, team and project aims. It is anticipated these visits will take place week commencing 25th September 2017.
Individuals appointed to act as assessors must be able to demonstrate relevant and up to date technical knowledge, skills and experience, specifically relating to the topic being covered by the Call.
Further information can be found in call documentation on PCS
In order for Wave Energy Scotland to ensure projects with the most promise are selected for support, independent external experts may be called upon to assist with carrying out assessment of call applications and to complement the WES team during decision making processes.
Each application to the call will require to be evaluated by a panel of individuals with the relevant technical skills and experience, to determine the projects which merit support. WES is therefore seeking a number of individuals to support the evaluation process for the current call only with the requirements detailed below.
The assessors will be required to read and independently evaluate a number of applications, covering both technical and commercial elements, following the guidance provided by WES and HIE. Written and verbal feedback/analysis of applications will be provided to WES/HIE following completion of the evaluation period. Attendance will be required at evaluation meeting(s) in Inverness, where the applications will be discussed.
Individuals appointed to act as assessors must be able to demonstrate relevant and up to date technical knowledge, skills and experience, specifically relating to the topic being covered by the Call.
Further information can be found in this document.
Wave Energy Scotland wishes to appoint a suitably qualified individual, organisation or consortium to act as an independent Third Party Advisor (TPA) to WES for all Novel Wave Energy Converter Stage 2 projects.
The role of the TPA is to conduct an independent engineering appraisal for WES of the engineering development activities undertaken, considering a preliminary design review (PDR) of the Concept Engineering for a full-scale device, and a critical design review (CDR) of the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for a small sea-going prototype. The appraisal will provide confidence in the quality of the engineering design activities undertaken and technical readiness to proceed to Stage 3.
Further details are available on the “Current Contract Notices” tab of WES’s Purchaser Homepage here.
The tender is using a two stage process. The stage 1 (prequalification) deadline is 12:00 on the 28 April 2017
Wave Energy Scotland wishes to appoint a suitably qualified individual, organisation or consortium to act as an independent Third Party Advisor to WES for all NWEC Stage 2 projects.
The role of the TPA is to provide confidence in the outcomes of the NWEC Stage 2 projects by providing an independent appraisal of the physical modelling and numerical modelling and simulation activities undertaken by the Stage 2 projects. To provide this service the TPA will use their demonstrable knowledge of the regulations, codes, standards and best practice guidelines relevant to the design and testing of wave energy converter technology.
Further details are available on the “Current Contract Notices” tab of WES’s Purchaser Homepage here.
The tender is using a two stage process. The stage 1 (pre-qualification) deadline is 12:00 on the 13 April 2017.