By Renewable Energy Focus staff

Oyster 800 operates in the same way as Oyster 1, but with modifications to its shape and width to capture more wave energy. The modifications are based on data and lessons learnt from Oyster 1, which has been operating at EMEC since 2009.

In addition to higher output, the Oyster 800 wave power device is said to be easier to install with only two seabed piles, compared to four on Oyster 1, and routine maintenance has been simplified.

Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, says: “Aquamarine Power has made huge progress in less than two years since its first Oyster device was connected to the grid at EMEC – proving the technology and driving down costs – a testament to the vision, commitment and expertise throughout the company.”

Martin McAdam, Aquamarine’s CEO, adds: “Our goal is to make future Oysters cost competitive within the next few years. The Oyster 800 will help us gather the data that we need to deliver on this.”

Aquamarine says it will deploy another two Oyster wave power devices at EMEC in 2012 and 2013, bringing the total capacity to 2.4 MW.

The wave power device was manufactured by Burntisland Fabrications (BiFab) and the project is supported by grant funding from Scottish Enterprise and the Carbon Trust’s Marine Renewables Proving Fund.