The Saltire Prize is a £10 million challenge offered by the Scottish Government to accelerate the commercial development of marine energy across the world. To win the prize, PWP must demonstrate that its commercially viable wave energy technology, the P2, achieves the greatest volume of electrical output over a continuous 2 year period using only the power of the sea (over the set minimum hurdle of 100GWh). The generation period begins on or prior to January 2015 and will run to January 2017.

The site of the Grand Challenge will be at Farr Point, Sutherland where PWP has achieved a grid connection and an Agreement for Lease under the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Leasing Round from the Crown Estate.

Neels Kriek, CEO of Pelamis Wave Power, said: “The Saltire Prize inspires the historic principles of Scottish innovation, engineering and achievement, which are also at the core of Pelamis Wave Power’s success. PWP is delighted to achieve Official Satire Prize Competitor Status in the Scottish Government’s global contest and looks forward to competing with other marine technologies in the Grand Challenge”.

“Achieving ‘Official Applicant Saltire Prize’ for our proposed Wave Farm at Farr Point, Sutherland firmly places the north coast of Scotland on the map for energy innovation”. Laura Carse, Project Development Manager, Pelamis Wave Power.

For more information on the Farr Point project see our project page.

Additional information about the Saltire Prize is available on the Scottish Government website.

The P2 is towed into Hoy, Orkney.

The Pelamis P2 machine arrived in Orkney yesterday afternoon after a successful sea trial and tow from Edinburgh. The machine left PWP’s facility in Leith docks, where it was designed and built, on Friday evening and was towed north by Delta Marine’s multicat vessel the Voe Viking. It will now be thoroughly inspected and prepared, ahead of connection to the pre-placed mooring system and electrical cable at the European Marine Test Centre (EMEC) site at Billia Croo. The machine will then undergo an intensive series of commissioning and evaluation trials through the remainder of the summer and autumn before entering full service.

The Voe Viking alongside the P2 machine, Orkney (top), the P2 machine leaves Leith docks, Edinburgh (bottom left), P2 machine moored up alongside Lyness quayside, Hoy, Orkney (bottom right).

The Pelamis P2 machine had its first taste of the open sea this week when it successfully completed its first set of trials in the outer reaches of the Firth of Forth.

The 36 hour test was carried out in small seas of around 1m height and 7 second period, and included full towing and manoeuvring trials, testing of the new mooring yoke, and extensive testing of the hydraulic, electrical and control systems. All tests were successfully completed with all systems performing as designed. Tests were supported by Delta Marine’s Voe Viking and Voe Chief vessels.

The machine, built for power utility E.ON, will head to Orkney shortly to be connected into the national grid at the European Marine Energy Centre.

(Left) Pelamis P2 has its first ‘taste’ of sea water as it leaves Leith Harbour for the first time and (right) the machine begins to flex in the small seas. (Top) the machine is towed in to the mouth of the Forth by Delta Marine’s vessel the Voe Viking.

The first P2 Pelamis was officially named today in a ceremony in Leith Docks, where the machine was designed and built. Speaking at the event, Rt Hon Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, said: “Scotland is well-placed to become the clean, green energy powerhouse of Europe, with as much as 10 per cent of its wave power potential, as well as an estimated one quarter of the continent’s offshore wind and tidal energy capacity.”

“Today is another significant step in that journey. It is also testament to E.ON’s strong global commitment to renewable energy generation and to the ambition and innovation of Pelamis in pioneering its internationally-renowned wave energy technology.

“I’m delighted that the completed P2 wave energy converter is now ready for deployment at the European Marine Energy Centre and pleased to officially name the device “Vágr atferð.”

The name, which is Old Norse for wave power, was chosen by Orkney schoolboy, Matthew Rendall. The P2 Pelamis will be towed to Orkney later this year to commence a three year test programme at EMEC.

At the event, Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said: “We’re delighted to be a part of such an innovative project. The event marks a milestone in marine technology and the next exciting step for renewable energy in the UK.

“Today’s launch is a celebration of the successes we’ve seen with renewables and a clear example of the changing shape of the UK energy industry – there is a real potential for the UK to lead the marine energy sector.”

The supply contract for the machine with utility company E.ON is the UK’s first commercial supply contract within the marine energy sector. In March 2008, PWP announced they had secured a second commercial supply contract for a P2 machine with Scottish Power. This machine is expected to be launched in 2011.

Photo above shows (from left) Neels Kriek, CEO of PWP, Dr Paul Golby, CEO of E.ON UK, Matthew Rendall, Orkney schoolboy, Alex Salmond, First Minister for Scotland.

The ceremony was held beside the Royal Yacht Britannia, in Leith Docks.

The order announced today follows an earlier order from E.ON for the first P2 machine which is currently in the final stages of manufacture at PWP’s Leith facility and due to be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney later this year.

Last week both SPR and E.ON were awarded leases by the Crown Estate for projects off the west coast of Orkney utilising Pelamis P2 technology. In addition PWP secured a lease for a project off the North mainland coast of Scotland. When fully developed the capacity of these projects, utilising Pelamis machines, totals 150MW – equivalent to 200 P2 machines. The machines currently on order will provide valuable experience and data to expedite the early development and commercialisation of these projects.

Neels Kriek, PWP CEO said: “This order from SPR will allow us to operate and maintain a mini array of P2 machines at EMEC which will create the impetus for the commercialisation of the Crown Estate sea-bed leases awarded to SPR, E.ON and PWP. These and other projects under development in Scotland will result in orders in excess of £500 million when fully developed. This is a unique opportunity for PWP and our Scottish and UK supply chain partners to stimulate significant immediate and local economic benefits and importantly to create many more high-tech jobs in Scotland. The commitments made by the UK and Scottish Governments to decarbonise our economy and to increase the use of indigenous energy resources has been given a significant boost by the SPR and E.ON commitments and investment in Pelamis technology.”

Click here to download PWP’s press release.

PWP are no strangers to operating in the region having installed the full-scale Pelamis prototype at EMEC in Orkney between 2004 and 2007; which was the world’s first grid connected offshore wave energy converter. Later this year PWP will be returning to EMEC to start demonstration of the first Pelamis P2 machine for utility client E.ON UK.

PWP Project Development Manager Andrew Scott welcomed the outcome of the leasing round saying: “This is terrific news for PWP and Armadale. The agreement with The Crown Estate, along with a grid connection, has significantly de-risked this project opportunity, and we look forward to bringing this project through consents to a position where it can be built and start exporting wave power to the UK grid”.

PWP have elected to use an Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Ocean Power Delivery, to carry out the project development work for the site, which is currently named “Armadale”.

With a mainland grid connection; the Armadale project represents the only proposed wave farm in Scotland that is not dependant on an island transmission upgrade. Neels Kriek PWP Chief Executive said: “Choosing a mainland grid connection gives us the clear route to deliver a utility scale wave farm, potentially up to 50MW, within the shortest timeframe, which presents a considerable opportunity for PWP; not least the potential to win the Saltire Prize.”

The three Pelamis projects which were successfully awarded lease options from The Crown Estate in the UK’s first marine energy leasing round include:

A 50MW offshore wave project with Scottish Power Renewables, off the west coast of the Orkney Islands, and
A 50MW offshore wave project with E.ON UK, also off the west coast of the Orkney Islands, and
A third 50MW wave farm site off the north coast of Sutherland being developed by PWP themselves.

Commenting on the three projects, with a cumulative capacity of 150MW, Chief Executive Officer of PWP, Neels Kriek, said: “The Crown Estate’s process has set our industry on course towards delivering marine projects of utility scale, and PWP is delighted that both Scottish Power Renewables and E.ON UK endorsed our technology in their applications. We are proudly and uniquely aligned in our respective goals of delivering renewable energy through multiple commercial Pelamis projects in the next 5 to 10 years.” Kriek continued: “The challenges associated with the ambitions which have been set today are significant, and the team at PWP are energised to embrace these challenges to the benefit of Scottish Power Renewables, E.ON UK, our other customers and the UK low carbon economy objectives. I am confident that we are ideally placed with the significant support from the Scottish Government and DECC to translate today’s announcement into a global success for the UK, Scotland and the sector.”

Click here to see the BBC’s coverage of the event.

Click here to download PWP’s press release.

Ed Miliband was invited to climb inside the new Pelamis to see the fully assembled joint and power take-off system first hand. He later said “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to see the wave energy industry in action here today. I have been extremely impressed both by the Pelamis technology itself, and by the unique and visionary project that that Pelamis Wave Power and E.ON are delivering. The project is pulling the technology and sector forward, out of a long research and development phase and over the commercial Rubicon. It is exactly the type of project that our Marine Renewables Proving Fund was designed to support, it will lay a solid foundation for the Government’s commercial aspirations for the sector moving forward.”

Max Carcas, PWP’s Business Development Director, said “Pelamis Wave Power and our partners on this project E.ON, are delighted to have won such a significant award to support the manufacture, deployment and testing of our second generation Pelamis ‘P2’ machine. The P2 encompasses both our real at-sea operating experience with the first generation of machines, and a number of major technical innovations to improve manufacturability and enhance economic performance. The MRPF scheme represents a timely step-change in the levels and nature of support available from the UK Government, and is certain to both accelerate industry progress and to further cement the lead currently enjoyed by the sector in this country”.

The first P2 machine is currently under construction at PWP’s headquarters in Leith and will be deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney, later this year. The project with E.ON is the UK’s first commercial supply contract within the marine sector. The MRPF scheme will allow PWP to increase the scope and pace of trials planned for this machine.

For further information please see;

Carbon Trust

BBC News story

PWP Secures order from E.ON

Progress on P2 Build