Wave hub has 'Massive Potential'

Plymouth based company Orecon one of the partners in the 'wave hub' experiment which is currently taking place in the sea off Hayle announced this week that he site had demonstrated 'massive potential'  for a viable commercial wave energy system.

The latest results for the last three month monitoring period showed an average wave height of 2.3m which, according to the consortium, means each metre of wave front produces enough energy to power more than 25 average households.

The long term plan is to install and combine a number of devices on or near the surface of the water, to capture the wave energy on a commercial scale and develop the UKs first 'wave farm'. It is planned to link the wave generators to a 'wave hub' located on the sea bed to collect the electricity produced and to bring it ashore at Hayle, close to the site of the old power station. From here the electricity could be fed into the National Grid.

The South West Regional Development Agency is carrying out detailed research and costings and hope to make a start on a full scale wave farm by 2007. It is estimated that a successful project could be worth 700 new jobs and £27 million a year to the local economy.

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