Multi-Million Euro Ocean Energy Project Coordinated By MaREI Researchers At UCC

With lab testing at UCC’s Lir National Ocean Test Facility to validate system improvements to ORPC’s full-scale hydrokinetic turbine.

MaREI is pleased to announce the kick-off of a 3.2 million euro technology development project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. ORPC Ireland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ocean Renewable Power Company, will lead the technical efforts of the project, and MaREI researchers at University College Cork will coordinate, with consortium partners in Letterkenny Institute of Technology (Ireland), Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Germany) and SKF (U.K.) Limited.

The project is called “Technology Advancement of Ocean Energy Devices through Innovative Development of Electrical Systems to Increase Performance and Reliability,” or TAOIDE for short. TAOIDE’s overarching goal is to radically improve system reliability by developing a more robust power transfer system from prime mover to electric grid, specifically, a direct drive permanent magnet generator capable of operating in a fully flooded condition.

The centerpiece of TAOIDE will be ORPC Ireland’s lab testing at UCC’s Lir National Ocean Test Facility to validate system improvements to a full-scale ORPC hydrokinetic turbine and associated economics. The Sustainable Energy Applied Research Centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology is responsible for developing maintenance plans and applying systems and preventative maintenance strategies to lower the levelized cost of energy production in the marine environment. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s Institute for Wind Energy & Energy System Technology is developing advanced control algorithms for load reduction and power quality improvement and is contributing its expertise in condition monitoring, and SKF is designing the generator bearings and rotary seals capable of operating in a fully flooded environment.

“Proving the functionality of a wet-gap generator will be a major development for the ocean energy industry”, said ORPC President & CEO, Chris Sauer, “and will make our marine renewable energy systems more competitive with other renewable energy options. We look forward to working with our dedicated partners in the EU to significantly advance ocean energy technologies and help secure Europe’s global competitiveness.”

Dr. Jimmy Murphy, Lir National Ocean Test Facility Manager noted, “I am delighted with the opportunity to work with ORPC Ireland and the other partners on this exciting major project over the next three years.”