The Marine Institute, in association with Sustainable Energy Ireland, established an Ocean Energy Test Site for scaled prototypes of wave energy devices in Galway Bay. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources issued a foreshore lease for the site in March 2006. The Test site is situated on the North side of Galway Bay, 1 mile East of An Spideal. To avoid conflict with shipping, it is marked by navigation markers on four corners. The site is 37 Hectares in area and is in 21-24 metres of water.
Wave Data
Real time wave information is available for the Galway Bay Test Site. The Marine Institute have installed a waverider at the wave energy test site off Spideal to support developers of Ocean Energy devices. The wave data is updated every 3 minutes and can be viewed at the through the map on the Integrated Marine Observation System. Recent wave data for the Galway Bay site can is also available for download.
A wave climate recording and modelling programme, carried out by the Marine Institute in 2004, indicated the suitability of the site for testing of 1/3-1/5 scale devices. This facility was designed to provide testing facilities for large scale prototypes to fulfil the requirements of phase 3 ( Process Model) of the Development and Evaluation Protocol for Ocean Energy Devices (PDF, 705KB)
Mean daily significant wave height - Winter 2006/2007
Information for Developers
The Galway Bay Test Site is available to all developers of wave energy devices, who have a prototype that is built for open water testing in a relativey sheltered location. Developers who are interested in using the site can download the following information:
Wave Energy Developers at the Test Site
Ocean Energy Ltd. are presently testing their Seilean wave energy prototype on the site. It has been deployed since December 2006 and successfully withstood the severe winter storms. They are undergoing phase 2 of open water testing, which included the installation of turbines.
Wavebob Ltd. were the first company to use the OE test site. They deployed a prototype at the site in 2006 and a second, with modifications, in 2007.
Contact
If you are interested in using the Wave Energy Test Site, please contact Marine Technology