Research Training Network WAVETRAIN
FP6 - Marie Curie Actions

As a result of over 25 years of wave energy development in Europe, four wave energy pilot plants of three different technologies with power capacity ranging from 20 kW to 2 MW are, or will be in a short time, being tested at sea. This provides unique conditions to assess the potential of the technology and was the main reason to propose WAVETRAIN RTN project. The project is intended to bring together a network of European research teams and exchange young researchers to enhance the EU capability to develop wave-energy technology, in order to increase its technical and economical viability.

This research effort encounters multiple scientific challenges that will be address in the project, such as the improvement of the modelling capabilities (theoretical, numerical and experimental) of wave energy converters, from wave to wire, having in view the design requirements and the techniques to be used in the development of new and existing concepts. Chances are now provided by the sea trials of the, or close to, full-sized shoreline and offshore prototypes devices that have been, or are close to being, deployed by some of the project partners in the European coasts. Furthermore, there is lack of integration of the different wave energy technologies namely at the levels of design, control, mobilisation and demobilisation, monitoring and maintenance. Unlike wind-energy, it is expected that several wave energy technologies will become viable, as the different technologies have specific advantages depending on the application and site. As the technologies reach more advanced stages of maturity, standardisation in reporting and evaluation methodologies for sea trials become crucial when assessing and comparing different technologies.

Wave energy has opened a new S&T field whose multidisciplinary background is not provided by regular training at University level. The increased maturity of wave energy technology In recent years, gave rise to a number of mainly SME-driven industrial activities that show strong commitment in bringing this technology to the market. This is breeding new employment sources for which there is need for trained professionals to support the companies and the R&D institutions active in this area.

Partners: Instituto Superior Técnico; Teamwork Technology BV; SPOK ApS; Queen's University Belfast; Ecole Centrale de Nantes; University College Cork; The University of Edinburgh; Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação, Technische Universiteit Delft; Chalmers Tekniska Hogskola AB.