Checkmate Flexible Engineering has secured a £750,000 grant from Innovate UK to accelerate development of its Lobe-Tendon Anaconda wave energy converter. The 18-month project is known as Môr Neidr (‘sea snake’ in Welsh).
Checkmate’s Anaconda Lobe-Tendon is made of an outer tube pulled into lobes by hundreds of internal tendons. The outer tube and tendons are constructed from natural rubber. As ocean waves travel along the length of the flexible tube, they create pressure bulges inside the structure. These bulges move toward a power take-off system at the end of the tube, where their energy is converted into electricity. The speed of the internal bulge waves can be matched to the ocean wave speed, to maximize energy production, or detuned from the ocean wave speed to maximize survivability.
“This grant allows us to accelerate the Anaconda’s development and build on the innovation our team has already delivered, with a clear path toward future sea trials,” said Paul Auston, Director of Checkmate Flexible Engineering. “It’s an exciting step forward, not just for Checkmate, but for the future of wave energy in Wales and the Celtic Sea, where we see enormous potential to deliver clean, predictable power at scale.”
The company is working with partners including Swansea University, CGEN Engineering, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Wave Venture, the project will pave the way for future sea trials at the Welsh Marine Energy Test Area (META).
Over the next 18 months, the Môr Neidr project will combine advanced numerical modeling with a program of tank trials, PTO dry testing, materials testing and construction of a section of a 1:4 scale prototype tube. These activities will refine and validate the Lobe-Tendon Anaconda design and prepare the technology for a future sea trial at META.
