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Aquamarine Power, a developer of wave energy technology, has announced May 18, 2010 on its website, the second generation of OYSTER converter is planned to be built this summer in Scotland. The second generation called OYSTER 2. It offers, according to the manufacturer, performance of 250 times greater than the first OYSTER and it has been working since summer 2009 at the EMEC (European Marine Energy) Orkney Islands. Each OYSTER 2device, 26 by 16 meters, is expected to produce 800 kW. Compared to OYSTER 1, the new device incorporates design improvements in terms of technique and design that enable it to produce more energy, be more simple to install and easier to maintain. The company plans to deploy three OYSTER 2 at the EMEC by the summer of 2011. These three wave energy converters will be linked to a single hydro onshore turbine of 2.4 MW. The company expects a farm of twenty OYSTER 2 devices to provide enough energy for more than 12,000 homes.

Following the presentation to the press, Martin McAdam, the company’s CEO, said: “The OYSTER 2 concept is exactly the same as OYSTER 1 except that we have greatly improved the shape and size of Main panel, worked on the pipes and trunking, taking care to use very few moving parts, hydraulic components and modules that can be easily changed as often as their replacement is necessary. When OYSTER 2 will be installed next summer, it will be another step in our journey towards building the first commercial wave farm.”

OSYTER Programs 1 and 2 have been made thanks to the support of the British government policy and financial support of the Marine Renewables Proving Fund (MRPF) managed by the Carbon Trust.

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