CorPower Ocean Wave Energy Reliability and Surviability Research at Half and Full Scale

Purpose and goal

The objective of this planning grant was to facilitate travel to potential partners in my Mobility for Growth fellowship application. Envisioned partners were the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), with mentoring roles from Fortum and Lockheed Martin. Face to face meetings are an essential part of building the relationships to evolve into a high quality application.

Results and expected effects

The result of this planning grant has been a well-developed and mature application with an evolved scope from what was first intended. Partners in the final application are the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and the United States Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The effect of this will be a lasting relationship between these partners, and the application of a Structured Innovation approach to the CorPower Ocean wave energy technology, using the half scale ocean prototype deployment and evolution of the full scale device as a case study.

Approach and implementation

The planning grant was intended for travel to the Orkney islands in Scotland, to Finland, and to Washington D.C. However, it was found to be more cost effective to meet the Scottish partners (EMEC) at the International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) in Edinburgh. During that trip, I was introduced to the new partner (NREL), and it was determined that this consortium is what should be focused on to produce the best application, and the Finland and Washington D.C. trips were not taken.