The Pelamis Wave Generator

We are indebted to Ocean Power Delivery Ltd, designers and constructors of the Pelamis wave energy device, for their kind permission to reproduce the images on this page.

In the 1970s Scotland had an opportunity to invest in wave power generation using the designs of Professor Salter, generally referred to as the "Salter Duck", but the UK Government turned its back on renewables at that time and invested in nuclear power instead. As a result we ended up with no renewable power design development and a serious decommissioning and nuclear waste problem that will take generations to resolve if it can be resolved at all. Now we are buying-in renewable technology from abroad and are late in producing and building our own designs, and the UK Government, once again, seems set on massive investment in new nuclear power generation. We ought to be leading the world in renewable energy generation and exporting our technologies, but instead we're being starved of investment by our own government!

Ocean Power Delivery Ltd. have an effective wave generator design, called Pelamis, now being built off Portugal in their first major contract. We should be building a wave farm off the Western Isles right now, integrating its output with the huge Isle of Lewis windfarm, and making sure we have the electricity transport infrastructure to transfer the power generated to the national grid when they both come on line.

Ocean Power Ltd are recruiting engineers. Visit the Ocean Power website for a look at what your energy future might be!