Trident Energy (Trident), the independent developer of enabling technology for the marine energy sector, has been offered £220,000 of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) from Scottish Enterprise to support the development of the Company’s generic technology for marine energy conversion.
The grant will be used to support Trident’s expansion in Glasgow this year and the development of an in-house technical team to further develop the company’s novel PowerPod technology. The Scottish team will look to progress the technology ready for commercial production. Scottish Development International has worked closely with the Company in considering this investment and has used RSA from Scottish Enterprise to secure this investment for Scotland.
Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “Trident’s technology could offer a breakthrough for full scale commercial marine energy deployments. This offer of RSA is another example of Scotland leading the way in the global drive to harness power from the seas and continues Glasgow’s long tradition of engineering excellence into 21st century technologies.”
Trident has patented a tubular linear generator designed to convert sea wave motion directly into electricity, using the minimum of moving parts. Unlike other wave and tidal energy companies, Trident’s PowerPod is designed to work across a range of marine energy device types to improve energy conversion levels and reduce the cost of offshore renewable power generation.
The technology is a module design and is fully scaleable to suit different applications. Trident plans to offer a range of PowerPod generator sizes, with the first commercial PowerPod expected to be a 150kW unit. The generic nature of Trident’s technology means multiple PowerPod units could be installed inside many leading wave energy convertors and some tidal energy systems, as well as other marine structures, such as offshore wind turbines and oil & gas platforms.
The PowerPod’s great strength is its simplicity of design, which converts the movement of the waves directly into electricity without the need for intermediate systems such as hydraulics and gearboxes. This makes the system much more reliable and reduces the cost of producing sustainable, clean electricity.
Trident’s CEO Steve Packard said: “We are delighted that Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International are supporting the development of Trident’s innovative technology. I believe that our multi-use marine energy enabling technology will be a key cornerstone technology to make marine energy commercial. Scotland has one of the best marine environments in the world and offers engineering and manufacturing expertise. We look forward to proving that our technology can help developers harness the power of sea to generate sustainable , affordable clean electricity for all.”
Lena Wilson, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise, said: “We know there is huge demand for clean and sustainable energy and with companies like Trident, Scotland continues to demonstrate its leadership in marine energy innovation. As such it is vital that we work to ensure that we create the right conditions for these companies to succeed in Scotland.
“This is an exciting time for Scotland’s renewables industry and Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International are committed to working with ambitious companies to harness the potential of the Scottish marine environment.”
Trident’s technology has been manufactured at full-scale, following a rigorous programme of testing at Narec’s wave tank in the north of England which has shown that the PowerPod can successfully produce power in a number of the different sea environments which exist across the world. As a result of these very encouraging test results, Trident is in discussions with developers with a view to testing the technology in offshore sea trials.