Project Partners
CorPower Ocean
CorPower Ocean brings a new class of high efficiency Wave Energy Converters (WECs) enabling robust and cost-effective harvesting of electricity from ocean waves. The design principle is inspired by the pumping principles of the human heart and offers five times more energy per ton of device compared to previously known technologies, allowing a large amount of energy to be harvested using a small and low-cost device. The CorPower WEC’s unique ability to become transparent to incoming waves provides survivability for the WEC in storm conditions. CorPower’s is headquartered in Sweden, with offices in Portugal, Norway and Scotland. The company has received broad backing across Europe, with funders including EIT InnoEnergy, the European Commission, the Swedish Energy Agency, AICEP Global(Norte2020), Wave Energy Scotland, Midroc New Technology, ALMI Invest Greentech, SEB Greentech VC and additional private investors.
Ternan Energy
Ternan is an innovative, solution-driven, totally independent and uniquely connected consultancy. Founded in 2016, but drawing on over three decades in the offshore industry, Ternan brings together a group of highly experienced, motivated and like-minded marine geoscience professionals. It has built a sustainable client focussed business that integrates geophysics, geology and geotechnical engineering in support of marine infrastructure and engineering projects. It works with clients across the globe to deliver high quality, technically insightful, cost saving and inherently safe solutions.
Sustainable Marine
Sustainable Marine is a leader in renewable energy solutions for island and coastal communities.
Its goal is to provide remote communities with a cleaner and more sustainable energy source. The company is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, with offices in Spay, Germany, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
TTI Marine Renewables
Tension Technology International (TTI) is an independent consulting group specializing in flexible tension member systems. TTI was founded in the United States in 1985. The United Kingdom organization was formed in 1986. Each of its principals has at least 20 years’ experience in their field and is an internationally recognized expert.
Edinburgh University Policy and Innovation Research Group
The Policy and Innovation Research Group is part of the Institute for Energy Systems (IES) which is one of the six research institutes within the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh is one of the largest and most successful universities in the UK with an international reputation as a centre of academic excellence. The University has been at the forefront of renewable and marine energy conversion research for 45 years. The group combines expertise on technologies, energy system organisations and institutions, and the wider policy and regulatory context for energy. It applies a range of quantitative and qualitative research tools and methods including innovation systems, energy system modelling and scenarios, and transitions management. This leads to preparation of strategy and investment roadmaps for organisations' funding, public and private investment and government departments.
EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre)
Established in 2003, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd is the world’s first and leading facility for demonstrating and testing wave and tidal energy converters – technologies that generate electricity by harnessing the power of waves and tidal streams – in the sea. It offer purpose-built, open-sea testing facilities for prototype technologies. It operatea two grid-connected, accredited test sites – the Fall of Warness tidal test site and Billia Croo wave test site – where larger prototypes are put through their paces, as well as two scale test sites where smaller scale devices, or those at an earlier stage in their development, can gain real sea experience in less challenging conditions. Attracting developers from around the globe, EMEC’s facilities help to prove what is achievable in some of the harshest marine environments while in close proximity to sheltered waters and harbours.
Collaborators
Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy System (IWES)
Fraunhofer IWES secures investments in technological developments through validation,shortens innovation cycles, accelerates certification procedures, and increases planning accuracy by means of innovative measurement methods in the wind energy sector and hydrogen technology. At present, there are around 250 scientists and administrative staff as well as more than 100 students employed at the five sites: Bremerhaven, Hanover, Bremen,Hamburg, and Oldenburg.
Test Centre for Support Structures (TTH) of the Leibniz University of Hanover
The Test Center Support Structures (TTH) in Hanover offers a unique infrastructure for testing all types of support structures (towers and foundations) on a scale of 1:10 and larger. The foundation test pit and the span can be used to investigate fatigue and extreme load behavior under multi-axial loading. The test center also offers four specially equipped laboratories to carry out scientific investigations. The “structural health monitoring laboratory”, the “soil mechanics laboratory”, the “concrete laboratory” and the “fiber composite laboratory” complete the infrastructure of the test center.
Georisk & Vibration Scandinavia
Geo Risk & Vibration Scandinavia AB is an expert consulting company specialising in geotechnical and earthquake engineering as well as soil dynamics. Its team helps assess risks related to different types of foundation problems, due to static or dynamic loading.
Dieseko
Dieseko Group is the worldwide leading developer, manufacturer and provider of hydraulic foundation equipment. With four renowned brands, Dieseko Group has more than 45 years experience delivering powerful high-tech equipment to the global foundation industry.
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee, Scotland, is one of the UK's leading universities, internationally recognised for its expertise across a range of disciplines including science and ocean engineering.
“This project collaboration has reimagined the traditional mooring and anchoring process. The consortium has worked intensively for several years taking the UMACK concept from the drawing board,through multiple design, development and test phases, to construction, subsystem testing and now the upcoming open ocean testing towards the end of 2021. The forthcoming open ocean trials mark a tremendously exciting period, and an important stage in a long and rigorous validation process. The project is aiming to demonstrate how improved strategies and reduced downtime afforded by the novel UMACK system can decrease LCOE (Levelised Cost Of Electricity) for a broad range of marine energy platforms.”
UMACK Project Coordinator and CorPower Ocean Head of Projects
Matt Dickson
“Mooring solutions continue to present significant challenges across the marine energy industry. The UMACK consortium has joined forces to develop a more efficient and cost-effect solution which can be shared universally, benefiting not only wave and tidal, but extending to other areas such as floating offshore wind. Ternan has specifically been providing geotechnical and anchor design support, with a particular focus on investigating the practical deployment of novel anchor solutions such as screw piles and mesh anchors for offshore structures.”
Ternan Energy Geotechnical Engineer
Catriona Macdonald
“The UMACK Project offers ‘world-first’ technology enabling a step change in the deployment of marine energy mooring systems. As a joint-industry initiative, we have pooled our expertise while maintaining a firm focus on streamlining the entire mooring system including Sustainable Marine’s anchoring solutions that are required to drive maximum cost efficiency. The resultant anchoring and mooring technology offers major benefits to the emerging ocean energy market, improving reliability, reducing Levelized Cost Of Energy and accelerating progression towards large scale commercialisation.”
Sustainable Marine CEO
Jason Hayman
“This wide-reaching collaboration tackles fundamental issues regarding foundation mooring, which can be both costly and time-consuming from the O&M standpoint. It has hampered the progress and development of emerging ocean energy tech such as wave and tidal for some years. The UMACK project aims to demonstrate how improved strategies and reduced downtime afforded by the system will ultimately decrease LCOE and increase energy return on investment.”
TTI Marine Renewables Director
Ben Yeats
“Modelling experts from our Policy and Innovation Group are analysing the economic and environmental impact of the proposed UMACK system. We are using a global economic model containing LCOE and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations along with data from project partners. In addition to this, we are calculating the Gross Value Added (GVA) potential of the proposed system for Scottish and European supply chains. This deep analysis is helping to indicate how investment in the UMACK system will be reflected in additional economic activity within the engaged industries.”
Head
of Policy and Innovation Group, Institute for Energy Systems at
the University of Edinburgh
Henry Jeffrey
“The UMACK system offers a truly novel approach to marine energy development aiming to significantly de-risk the overall project and bring best practice to the industry. It is hugely positive to see this form of collaboration between leaders in the marine renewables sphere, while a broader user-group involving additional wave and tidal developers is being afforded full access to the results, ensuring sector-wide impact from the project.”
EMEC Technical Manager
Elaine
Buck
“We are happy to be able to support UMACK with our experience in offshore foundation and support systems. Together with the Test Centre for Support Structures, we provide the know-how and the infrastructure for testing the geotechnical properties of the mooring system under controlled, offshore-like conditions.”