Mid Stage Development of Ccell Wave Energy Converter

Recent large-scale laboratory tests of the curved Mark 1 CCell paddle and its control system, conducted with TSB funding #131499, have demonstrated the predicted four-fold increase in performance to cost ratio compared to other wave energy devices. Preliminary sea trials of components are ongoing and the technology is now ready for mid-stage development to build a complete system. This project takes lessons learned from Mark 1 system development and incorporates them into a Mark 2 Wave Energy Converter (WEC) technology package based on the CCell paddle, its control and its foundation system. The project aims to demonstrate cost-effective performance of an array of CCell paddles. This will be achieved through optimisation of the shape of the curved paddle and Power Take Off (PTO) for a wide range of sea conditions. Intelligent proactive control algorithms will be developed to maximise power capture in the highly variable conditions that operating devices will experience. Numerical tools developed and validated as part of the preceeding project will be extended to study interactions between arrays of CCell paddles. Co-operative PTO control strategies will be developed to optimise array performance, matching demanded power with generated power and balancing against device loading and degradation. Prototype systems will be constructed and tested both in laboratory conditions and at sea to validate concepts. Successful completion of the project will bring CCell and associated technology to the pre-commercial stage. Economic viability will be established and the barriers preventing the uptake of competitor technology will be removed.