The Marine Institute, in association with Sustainable Energy Authority 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 Spiddal. 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 Directional waverider at the test site 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. completed testing of the Seilean wave energy prototype on the site in 2009. It was deployed over a two year period and successfully withstood severe winter storms. The open sea testing confirmed the ability of the device to operate safely and reliably in real state sea conditions. They are currently participating in the UCC led EU FP7 CORES project. The OE Buoy is a platform to test various components required by the wave energy sector, such as power generators, power control systems, instrumentation, telemetry and grid interface technology.
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