Wave and current test centre to be built at Edinburgh University

A WAVE and current test centre which could benefit developers of marine energy devices is being built in Scotland.

The £9.5 million facility at the University of Edinburgh will be able to simulate conditions of coastlines around Europe.

A pool will mimic waves of up to 28m ( 91.9ft) and currents reaching 12 knots, conditions which are said to be currently unavailable to developers and engineers.

The project is being managed by Flowave TT, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the university.

The All-waters Combined Current and Wave Test Facility will be built at the institution’s King’s Buildings campus and is scheduled to open in summer 2013.

Flowave TT’S test tank will be available for academic and industry research, and is also suited to testing of submersible devices, remotely operated vehicles, offshore wind installation and service vessels and other marine tools.

It is hoped the centre will mean renewable energy companies are able to bring their products to market sooner.

Newly-appointed chief executive off icer Stuart Brown will lead the Flowave team.

He said: “The Flowave facility will enable simulation of various open water conditions quickly and at large scales.

“This could considerably reduce development times and costs, and enable developers to bring their devices to market more quickly and with lower technical risk.”

The facility is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the University of Edinburgh.

EPSRC chief executive Dave Delpy said: “I am confident that this EPSRC investment will provide a world-class facility that will bring benefit to UK science and help push forward renewable energy technologies.”