The ocean energy pioneers of tomorrow have been offered the chance to compete for a week of free testing at FloWave, the world’s most sophisticated ocean energy simulator.
The FloWave Prize – or ‘FPrize’ – is aimed at young researchers studying for PHDs and beyond, who must put forward their very best new marine energy ideas to be tested at scale in the FloWave tank.
FloWave Chief Executive Stuart Brown launched the global initiative at the annual symposium of INORE (the International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy) taking place this year in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Speaking at the event, which was hosted by Dalhousie University, Brown said:
“The INORE Symposium attracts the very best young researchers from around the world, and the FloWave Prize offers these ocean energy pioneers of tomorrow an unparalleled opportunity to test out their ideas for free at the world’s most sophisticated ocean energy research facility.
“We can now see a number of marine renewable energy devices being tested full scale in energetic environments at sea. The significant technical and environmental challenges these machines face underlines the need to reap maximum benefit from scale testing in a realistic and controllable environment beforehand – in order to de-risk and optimize designs, and to further reduce the cost of clean energy from the ocean.
“We hope applicants will seize this opportunity to propose new concepts and industry-enabling technologies, thereby helping to accelerate the commercialization and global growth of clean ocean energy. We are particularly keen to see some innovative ‘blue sky’ thinking from applicants, and for collaborative projects that really lead the way to a sustainable energy supply for the future.
“The competition is not limited to post-graduates or INORE members, and we expect the winner and FloWave to disseminate widely any learning gained through the award,” Brown concluded.
Welcoming the FloWave Research Prize, Adrian Deandres, Chairman of INORE said:
“INORE is pleased to collaborate with a world leading facility such as FloWave, giving the young researchers in offshore renewables a great opportunity to test their new concept ideas in one of the best facilities of this kind in the world.
“This competition is an excellent opportunity for INORE members to take their concepts ideas to the next step forward and maybe show the world the next generation of successful marine energy devices.”
Applicants are to submit a short initial proposal to FloWave no later than January 31, 2014.
Applications will be judged by a panel including FloWave, INORE and Edinburgh University, with the final decision announced next February. The tank will be available to the winner during July or August 2015.
The FloWave Prize is a bundle package valued at circa £37,650. This includes the tank time, tank operator, technician support, pre-test engineering, post-test data-validation and an allocation for consumables used as part of the testing.
Full details of the FloWave Prize will be published on the FloWave website before applications open on December 1.
