::  Making Waves In The Highlands 14/06/02

Energy Minister Brian Wilson made waves in the Highlands today (Friday 14 June) when he opened a major new testing facility for the renewable energy industry.

The most sophisticated wave tank in the country has been created by Inverness based wave energy company Wavegen with financial assistance from Inverness and Nairn Enterprise. This state-of-the-art facility allows them to create complex wave patterns which are much more true to life than those produced in conventional wave tanks.

Opening the tank Brian Wilson said: “The wave energy sector is poised to become a major force in renewable energy, particularly in rural areas.

“Wave power offers exceptional opportunities for creating jobs in rural areas, especially in manufacturing, and the facilities exist to manufacture the necessary equipment in proximity to the sites.

“This is an excellent facility – anybody who is as familiar as I am with the coast around Scotland, and the islands in particular, will know that the sea can be very unpredictable. By using this new wave tank Wavegen can recreate the conditions their products will have to endure.

 

“It’s particularly heartening to see a company in the north of Scotland at the forefront of this new industry, building on their reputation as the world leader in wave energy products”.

The tank, housed in an industrial unit in the Longman Industrial Estate in Inverness, uses 8 random piston wavemakers which operate separately to create realistic sea conditions.

Wavegen developed the world’s first commercial scale wave energy converter off the coast of Islay which supplies electricity to the national grid. They have 15 employees and are in line for DTI support for development and demonstration of a wave energy plant off the Scottish coast.

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For more information contact Jane Cumming on 01463 782548

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