New Scottish Wave Energy Generator Unveiled

MikeChino writes "We've learned about Scotland's wave energy initiatives in the past, and just this morning the nation unveiled Aquamarine Power's next-generation Oyster 800 wave power plant. The new generator can produce 250% more power at one third the cost of the first full-scale 315kw Oyster that was installed in Orkney in 2009. The device's shape has been modified and made wider to enable it to capture more wave energy, and a double seabed pile system allows for easier installation."

Comments

Re:Numbers, motherfucker

[Fordiman]

800 kW is the device's peak output - it's a limit. What's the actual capacity factor? How much energy do they expect to produce in a year?

Research costs don't really tell me anything about production costs. £4 - £5.1 million buys me what? Aquamarine Power signed a £4 million contract for how much expected output?

And tell me, do you think I didn't search, read wikipedia, or otherwise do due diligence? For all your bluster, you didn't tell me anything here that wasn't in TFA - or the press release from which it was birthed.

"If you want to get engineering data, I suggest you contact the manufacturer"

That's kind of my point about reporting. Inhabitat should have contacted the manufacturer, gotten useful numbers, and published them. That's just responsible journalism - finding out the real value of a technology, not just acting as the marketing arm for the company producing it.

I will, eventually, find all this stuff out. On my own. By contacting the manufacturer. My point was that I am not a member of the press, and therefore, I shouldn't have to go through all this rigamorole every time I want to actually compare apples to apples for a new energy tech.