Orkney’s waters continue to prove fertile test ground for latest ideas in renewables

New video footage released today shows the Oyster 800 wave energy machine in action at the EMEC test site off the coast of Orkney.

The machine, which was designed by researchers from Aquamarine Power, was installed in 2011 at EMEC’s Billia Croo site 500 metres off the northern coast of Stromness. It is designed to withstand waves in nearshore waters, which are less forceful than those further out at sea.

Since its installation, the Oyster 800 has withstood waves of up to nine metres high, and has converted the energy harnessed from the waves into electricity to supply to the UK grid.

The video, which was filmed in April 2013, shows the Oyster 800 operating in waves eight metres high: a height it encounters less than one per cent of the time.