Wave energy developer Aquamarine Power was honoured with a national award for innovation in engineering at The Engineer Technology and Innovation Awards 2009, held in London today [4 December 2009].

The Edinburgh-based company won the award in the ‘Energy’ category in conjunction with Queen’s University, Belfast for their collaboration in the development of an innovative hydro-electric wave power converter, known as ‘Oyster’ and its excellent potential to be deployed on a commercial scale.

The first full-scale Oyster was officially launched by Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney last month, when it began producing power to the National Grid to supply homes in Orkney and beyond.

Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, said:

Winning this award is fantastic news for Aquamarine Power and for the team at Queen’s University, Belfast. It recognises that together we are driving innovation and progress in the wave energy industry. It is also fantastic news for the wave energy industry as a whole to be recognised in such an important national engineering competition.

“The partnership between Aquamarine Power and Queen’s University, Belfast is a perfect example of how successful alignment of academic research with real industry needs can lead to innovation and ultimately to commercial success.

“The world market for our Oyster technology is in excess of £130 billion. By developing innovative new technologies like Oyster we can build a thriving new green industry here in the UK and start to tackle the global challenge of climate change.”

Oyster is currently the world’s only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing power. A farm of 20 Oysters would provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family homes.

Oyster is Aquamarine Power’s first demonstration-scale wave energy device. Its performance will now be monitored and the results from the testing will provide a basis for the design of the next-generation commercial-scale Oyster.

Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in nearshore waves in water depths between 10 and 16 metres. The benefit of Oyster is its simplicity. There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigours of Scotland’s harsh seas.

Now in its third year, the prestigious The Engineer Technology and Innovation Awards are run by The Engineer, the leading magazine and website for technology and innovation. Previous winners have included BP and BAE Systems.

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