OT: Wave energy projects off Cornwall postponed or cancelled

Chris Hogg · 2018-03-28T07:47:29+00:00

It's just been announced that the Australian wave energy company Carnegie has cancelled its plans to test a wave-energy device at the 'Wave Hub' off the Cornish coast. An American company, Gwave, was due to install a device later this year, but that too seems to have been postponed. The only company to get anywhere near using the facilities of the Wave Hub was Seatricity, whose device didn't produce electricity directly, but was designed to pump water under pressure several miles back to the shore to drive a turbine. Seatricity was just taking advantage of the Wave Hub's licence to operate wave energy devices at that location. Over a two-year period, Seatricity's device was only on site for a few weeks, accumulating data on the pressures achieved by their pumping system but which was never connected to the shore. Trials were brought to an abrupt halt when the tether broke in comparatively mild weather in August 2016, close to the end of their licence period. It never experienced winter storms. Seatricity was privately funded and it's future is uncertain. The £42M 'yellow submarine' that is the Wave Hub installed in 2010 is rapidly becoming a white elephant. Not a milliwatt of useful power has yet been transmitted to the shore, and that doesn't look likely to change any time soon.

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alan_m 8 years ago

Self cleaning glass may be effective if installed vertically on buildings but possibly less effective when installed at, say, 30 degrees to the horizontal. The self cleaning aspect also needs a water flow (rain) to wash off airborne dust but bird s*it isn't dust, it's an etching glue that sets hard on hot days!

Just consider how difficult it is to wash bird s*it from a car if left to dry for a couple of days.

I've seen how much pigeon s*it can be deposited in a loft during a two week period when they have gained access through a missing slate - believe me its a lot. If the person with the panels has a colony of pigeons his roof under the panels is likely to be white.

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Dave Plowman (News) 8 years ago

Quite. But 'our' fish winds up Express readers nicely. All that they want.

The notion that the fishing industry can go back to lots of simple boats going out and throwing a net over the end is rather like suggesting going back to hand weaving.

It is truly laughable the way right wing Brexiteers claim to want to protect UK jobs on here when it comes to justifying Brexit. Regardless. But when it comes to railways (or whatever) automate the lot.

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Dave Plowman (News) 8 years ago

In one. Sadly so many who voted thought those were promises, not hopes.

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dennis 8 years ago

All the panels around here have a gap. I have yet to see any birds nest under them. There are a few nearby and you can see the sparrows hopping about under them hunting for spiders and other insects when its nesting season. The biggest problem I have seen is where the TV aerial overhangs the panels and the pigeons sit there cr@pping on the panels.

There are panels that are inset into the roof but I have never seen any fitted.

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Jethro_uk 8 years ago

Even today, when pressed as to whether Brexit is worth it, our glorious leader could only promise that "things will be different". The eagle-eyed of you will have spotted that she's avoided using the word "better".

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tabbypurr 8 years ago

It would work if the glass was wired & appearance didn't matter, but I've never seen wire reinforced solar pv panels so...

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whisky-dave 8 years ago

It'd be time for Dragons Den, except that they're cancelling it :-(

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tabbypurr 8 years ago

it was the only thing on tv worth watching Wired glass base for PV panels is not patentable though.

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Marland 8 years ago

Are we sure that most Cornish realised that they were voting for the UK to leave Europe?

Many probably thought they were voting for independence .

I?d be happy for them to get it,like the North East of England they will probably start demanding more subsidy from the more prosperous parts of the UK to keep them propped up once the effects of Brexit strike home after a few years. Meanwhile they waste money trying to be like the Welsh and getting bilingual road signs etc for a language that had ceased to spoken about two hundred years ago till trendies with too much time on their hands started to revive it.

And the adoption of Tartan and Kilts which were never a Cornish tradition but a 20th century introduction to align themselves with the Scots looks ridiculous.

My long gone Cornish Grandmother would think it a ridiculous waste of money.

Asking a Cornishman why that ambassador of Cornish Culture, Jethro chose to live in Devon is fun.

GH

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Chris Hogg 8 years ago

I doubt it

We'll just tax the emmits.

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Sensible woman

He was never an ambassador of Cornish Culture, just a Cornish born comedian with a string of very dirty jokes. Quite funny though.

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Tim Streater 8 years ago

None of them did and none of them voted for that. They voted to leave the EU, an altogether different proposition.

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Marland 8 years ago

I realise that my warped sense of humour isn?t to everyone?s taste but when a confirmed Brexiteer has to add such a correction to what was a non serious comment you have to wonder that they have got hypersensitive to the notion that the Brexit they wished for may not turn out the way they anticipated and feel the need to reinforce their position at every opportunity . We will leave the EU, we won?t leave or be able to ignore its influence.

GH

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