Pelamis tests new wave energy system

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Wave energy company Pelamis said it completed testing on its next generation of wave power machines that could deploy in Scottish waters.

The Pelamis P2 wave energy system off the Scottish coast marked its first year in service in May. The system works by converting wave energy into electricity using a snake-like device deployed offshore.

Pelamis said it tested a small-scale P2e system, its next generation of wave energy computers, in the lab. It said the scale-model test simulated exposure to 50 hours of "extreme" weather that could generate waves of as high as 75 feet.

The existing P2 system can generate as much as 100 kilowatts of electricity during normal wave conditions in northern Scottish waters. It operates routinely in waves as high as 8 feet.

Ross Henderson, technology director at Pelamis, said in a statement Monday the "intensive" research and development program allowed the company to "make big advances" in wave energy.

Pelamis said it was now moving the P2e to the design phase to build on its demonstration projects at the European Marine Energy Center off the northern Scottish coast.