Supacat has delivered the refurbished BOLT “Lifesaver” wave energy converter to its owner Fred.Olsen Ltd following a three month project refurbishing the converter’s ‘intelligent systems’ at the Devon engineering firm’s facilities in Dunkeswell and Blackhill Engineering.
After over two years of full scale sea testing at FabTest UK, the device has undergone an upgrade and refurbishment programme in preparation for further trials in Hawaii where the device will undergo further trials with the US Navy.
“The commitment and expertise of the collaboration both during and subsequent to the TSB programme, as well as support provided by other organisations in the region, such as RegenSW and the Marine Energy Park, has helped this project achieve the success it has as it moves on to the next phase of its development,” said Joe Wilcox, Head of Marine & Renewables, Supacat.
Even Hjetland, Project Manager for Fred. Olsen Limited said: “When testing prototypes, problems will always present themselves, and having partners like Supacat to bring their design and manufacturing experience together with a willingness to assist has been key to the success of this stage of the project.
“The test site at FaBTest has presented the device with a wide range of operating conditions – including some significant storm events – that have helped to prove the robustness of the design and construction and this helped us understand the real world operating performance.
“The next step is to demonstrate this experience to new markets and set the scope for the next stages of the development of the technology.”
Supacat is a strategic partner to Fred. Olsen on “Lifesaver” and has provided design and manufacturing skills both during and after the innovative technology project, which was part funded by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). To develop “Lifesaver”, Fred.Olsen Ltd turned to a collaboration of industry and academia partners centred in the South West, which in addition to Supacat, included the University of Exeter (Falmouth campus).
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