2013 - University College Cork

RESEARCH PROJECTS
46
Marine Renewable Energy
COMPONENTS FOR OCEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY
SYSTEMS (CORES)
Research Centre/Department/School:
Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre (HMRC)
Contact PI: Prof. Tony Lewis (t.lewis@ucc.ie)
Researchers: Prof. Tony Lewis, Dr. Ray Alcorn,
Dr. Dara O’ Sullivan, Mark Healy, Florent Thiebaut,
Judy Rea, Dr. Wanan Sheng, John O’ Callaghan.
Start Year: 2008 – End Year: 2012
Funding Body: European Community
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)
Funding: €3.6 million
Collaborating Partners: Ocean Energy Ltd, Queens University Belfast, University
of Exeter, Wave Energy Centre (Portugal), Universita di Bologna, Aalborg University,
Robotiker Tecnalia, Instituto Superior Tecnico (Lisbon), MCS Kenny, Kymaner
(Portugal), University of Limerick, Fraunhofer IWES
Web: http://www.fp7-cores.eu/
CORES is a European collaborative research project with 7 partners. It is the first EU project to be
co-ordinated by an Irish research centre.
Wave Energy Converters are at an early stage of development. First generation devices have been
deployed at the shoreline and normally consist of Oscillating Water Column systems. In order for
these systems to progress towards full commercial realisation they must develop into units suited
to mass production.
This project follows the successful FP6 funding round in which several fixed oscillating water column
wave energy convertors were funded at demonstration level. These systems are now evolving
from fixed to floating devices in deeper water, further offshore. This brings new challenges which
this project aims to address. The end goal is to develop a low-risk way of addressing existing
problems in order to consolidate all of the essential components of wave energy systems into one
system model.
This project concentrates on the development of new concepts and components for power-takeoff,
control, moorings, risers, data acquisition and instrumentation based on floating OWC system
with the intention however of them having relevance to other floating device types.
KEY PUBLICATIONS
& OUTPUTS
Thiebaut et al., (2011), Testing of a
floating OWC device with movable
guide vane impulse turbine power
take off, EWTEC 2011.
Kelly et al., (2012), Challenges and
lessons learned in the deployment of
an offshore oscillating water column,
EVER 2012.
The OE Buoy being towed to the
Galway Bay Wave Energy Test Site