FP7 EU funded CORES wave energy project: a coordinators' perspective on the Galway Bay sea trials

Abstract

The present paper gives an overview of the lessons learnt from the project called Components for Ocean Renewable Energy Systems (CORES). In the context of this European funded 7th Framework Programme research project, new components and systems for ocean energy devices were developed and trialed. The present paper also details the work packages, major achievements, significant impacts, summary results and the outcomes of the sea trials. 1. Introduction Components for Ocean Renewable Energy Systems (CORES) was an EU funded FP7 Collaborative Research Project and was coordinated by the Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre in University College Cork (UCC). The Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre is now integrated into UCC Beaufort Research since 2013. The CORES project was intended to further develop components and systems required by the wave energy sector such as grid interface technology, power generators, moorings, instrumentation, telemetry and power control systems. The project started in 2008 and spanned over 3.5 years. It culminated with a three-month sea trial of the systems integrated onto the quarter-scale OEBuoy Hull in Ireland's Galway Bay Wave Test Site. This test site, which is operated jointly by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) and the Marine Institute (MI), was made available at no cost to the project. Thirteen partners from across seven European countries participated in the project. Although it concentrated on new concepts and components based on floating oscillating water column (OWC) systems, the majority of developments have relevance to most other wave device types. The project finished successfully on budget, but was extended by six months owing to issues concerning weather conditions and vessel availability. How this was achieved, the lessons learnt and what pitfalls need to be avoided are addressed in the present paper. Techniques and tools developed to reduce the risk involved in prototype sea trials and planning, as well as resourcing methods, are discussed. Finally, the present paper details the intellectual property (IP) generated from the project that will be available to the wider ocean energy community. The ultimate objective of the CORES project was to create a wave-to-wire modelling 'toolbox'. This toolbox would allow developers to evaluate the effect of changes in device components on the performance and economics of their devices. It was to consist of a number of numerical models or 'tools' developed within individual work packages and validated at bench scale and through laboratory scale testing at sea. Further information on these tools can be found in a number of detailed technical papers (CORES, 2011; Thiebaut, 2011) as well as on the CORES website (www.fp7-cores.eu).