Cornwall and South West England have invested £170 million to provide world leading research and demonstration facilities.
These facilities, added to the research capability, ensure Cornwall and the South West is able to provide a pathway to support the development of new technology from concept design, prototype and component testing through to full scale demonstration.
The Offshore Renewable Energy group has principal capabilities in resource assessment, marine operation and hydrodynamics, and offshore reliability. The group is actively engaged with wave energy developers and has a number of ongoing collaborative research projects, funded by Innovate UK, EPSRC, ETI and Carbon Trust. They are also a core partner in the leading research consortium SuperGen Marine and in the IDCORE industrial doctoral program.
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Plymouth University has made substantial investments to support research and commercial marine renewable projects. The Marine Institute provides world-leading experts and state of the art facilities covering coastal and ocean science, engineering for the marine environment, marine biology, ecology and conservation, biogeochemistry, marine geosciences, coastal geography and marine policy, shipping and maritime business. In addition to the following cross cutting themes of marine plastics, marine autonomous systems and marine renewable energy.
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The Partnership for Research in Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) is a network of world-class research institutions who undertake research and development to address challenges facing the marine renewable energy industry at a regional, national and international level. The overall aim of PRIMaRE is to foster a multi-institutional world-class research cluster in all aspects of marine renewable energy.
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The Coastal, Ocean And Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory at Plymouth University provides physical model testing with combined waves, currents and wind, offered at scales appropriate for device testing, array testing, environmental modelling and coastal engineering.
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The Dynamic Marine Component Test facility is a purpose built test rig that aims to replicate the forces and motions that components are subjected to in offshore applications. Features allow dynamic testing of components in large scale under a controlled environment applying realistic motion characteristics.
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FaB Test is an award winning, pre-consented, 2.8km2 test area situated within Falmouth Harbour, between three and five kilometres offshore in Falmouth Bay. This nursery facility enables developers to test components, concepts or full scale devices in a moderate wave climate, whilst giving excellent accessibility to the device and benefiting from extensive nearby port infrastructure.
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The SWMTF helps develop a thorough understanding of mooring system behaviour of Offshore Renewable Energy systems in real wave, wind, current and tidal conditions; and to improve computer simulation models and robust design procedures that allow the design of reliable, yet economic mooring systems.
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Owned by Cornwall Council, the Hayle Marine Business Park is located on North Quay in Hayle and offers high quality business park space purposefully built to support marine renewables businesses. It consists of 540 square metres of office space and 1,520 square metres of industrial units.
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At the heart of the Marine Navigation Centre sits the Ship Simulator powered by the world-leading Tranas NTPRO software, and able to recreate the environment of a real vessel navigating the oceans. This state-of-the-art facility uses advanced computer imaging, projection, and a 270-degree screen to conjure a highly-detailed visual canvas upon which mariners can learn to perfect their skills, using exactly the same systems they would at sea.
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The Marine Enterprise Zone offers a mix of development land and purpose-built office and industrial business space available for immediate occupation, with the possibility of 100% business rate relief for up to 5 years. Unrivalled as a world class base for marine businesses, it comprises a total of over 15 hectares in three primary locations: Hayle Harbour, Falmouth Docks & Tolvaddon. The Marine Enterprise Zone offer represents a long-term commitment to invest and re-invest in the industry helping to cement Cornwall’s position as one of the world’s leading regions for marine technology development.