The development of shoreline wavepower in the UK

The wave power research team at the Queen´s University of Belfast have been developing shoreline wave power since 1985. With primary funding from the former UK Department of Energy with additional support from The Marine Technology Directorate of the SERC, the team completed the commissioning of a 75 kW prototype wave power station located on the Isle of Islay. The plant is connected to the main electrical grid on the island which is in turn connected to the Scottish grid. The paper briefly reviews the concept of shoreline wave energy, describes both the existing and proposed plant, summarises some of the operational experiences obtained to date and outlines the future prospects for this technology