The work has been jointly funded by the economic development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise and the regional development agency One NorthEast, who have a shared commitment to marine renewable energy developments.

ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd (ABPmer) examined different techniques for assessing the relative power delivery performance of WECS' devices, comparing methods which utilised both the 15 year hindcast data set from the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO).

While the monitoring of device performance will take place in the full force of Atlantic storms at the test site 2km off Billia Croo on the west coast of the Orkney mainland, the power prediction methods developed for Orkney have also been tested for use at other sites with different prevailing sea states by validating them against wave data for a site close to Lundy in the Bristol Channel.

In July 2001, Orkney emerged as the preferred site for the European marine energy test centre. Orkney has some of the greatest resources of wind, wave and tidal energy available in a single location within Europe. It has an impressive record of research and testing for renewable energy plants.

The test centre is currently being readied for the first device to arrive on station before winter.

MJ Information No: 18751