Abstract: There has long been the desire to harness the significant and abundant marine renewable natural resources. However the realisation of this aspiration is not without technical, commercial, social and political risk; recent endeavours have seen the deployment of a small number of full scale prototypes with varying degrees of success. Much of this risk can be mitigated by the development of technology solutions in a step wise fashion.
A significant part of this process is the development of design concepts via the construction and testing of prototype models at a variety of scales. This allows pertinent mechanical, hydrodynamic and electrical aspects to be rigorously investigated at different stages within the technology development process. NaREC has been involved with a significant number of Device Developers facilitating just such developments and investigations. Some of these activities will be summarised by way of a case study. Additionally the contribution they have made and how they fit within the bigger picture of Marine Renewable Technology Development will be demonstrated. The significant advantages of large scale testing prior to open sea deployment will also be detailed.
