Wave power machine tested on land
- Published
Wave power generator designed to be supported on legs has now been stripped down
A wave energy machine that tipped into the sea when the pontoon taking it to a location off the Suffolk coast overturned will now be tested on land.
Engineers developing the machine in Lowestoft have built a special test bed at their boatyard site.
The 80 tonne demonstration wave power generator was to have had its first trial off Southwold in September 2009.
Following an investigation, the machine will now be tested on a rig simulating different wave conditions.
Designers said the machine has just one moving part and lends itself to use on many different structures including wind farms, redundant gas or oil rigs and even buoys.
The floating generator owned by Trident Energy was towed to land after the capsize five miles offshore.
The machine was designed to stand on a giant pair of legs, supported by submerged pontoons anchored to the sea bed to hold it above the waves.
Special floats move up and down with the waves to drive generators, which convert the motion into electricity.
The machine has now been stripped down to fit the onshore test bed.