Inverness, Scotland / Heidenheim, Germany: A further important step in the utilization of energy from the oceans has been taken by Voith Siemens Hydro and its Scottish subsidiary Wavegen: An agreement between npower renewables – a British subsidiary of RWE – and Wavegen might lead to the development of a three megawatt wave energy plant in the Hebridean island of Lewis.

The technology to be used in this plant would be based on Wavegen’s Limpet plant on the island of Islay. This plant utilizes Oscillating Water Column (OWC) technology and is the only grid connected OWC plant operating under commercial conditions. The plant has been operating since 2000.

If the project goes ahead, npower renewables and Wavegen would integrate Wavegen’s OWC technology into a new breakwater. By combining such a renewable energy project with the breakwater development, civil engineering costs could be shared and result in a considerable cost reduction for the wave power plant, while providing local benefit from the new breakwater that creates a new harbor for the local infrastructure. The plant is assumed to supply electricity for around 1,500 homes per year.

 “The confidence demonstrated by npower renewables in the Wavegen technology proves our leading position in the development of wave energy technology,” said Voith Siemens Hydro CEO Dr Hubert Lienhard. “We believe that the operation of the Limpet plant over the last five years gives Wavegen unrivalled experience of grid-connected wave plant operation.”

The Limpet-plant in Islay

When feasibility work is concluded successfully, the project will apply for funds from the British Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) “Marine Renewables Deployment Fund.”  This national UK based financing mechanism aims to provide both capital and revenue support for initial arrays of wave energy plant.  A key requirement for support under this program is that the technology must have been demonstrated at full scale for an uninterrupted period of at least three months.  Wavegen’s five years operational experience of the Limpet plant is unique in this regard.

Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Voith Hydro. Having developed the world’s first commercial-scale wave energy device that generates wave energy for the grid, Wavegen is a world leader in wave energy and wave power. Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation is a Group Division of Voith and - with a workforce of around 2,600 employees and sales of around EURO 600 million in the past business year - Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation belongs to the world-wide leading companies for hydro power equipment.

Voith is setting standards in the markets paper, energy, mobility and service. Founded on 1 January 1867, and nowadays with approximately 30,000 employees, a turnover of EURO 3.5 billion and 200 locations world-wide, Voith is one of Europe’s large family-owned companies.

Voith is an official partner of the initiative "Germany – Land of Ideas."

npower renewables is a leading UK renewable energy developer and operator, and is wholly owned by RWE npower plc.
For further information see www.npower-renewables.com

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