The Lir National Ocean Test Facility (Lir-NOTF) will mark the start of the new year by progressing into the operational phase after completion of three years of commissioning works.
The Lir-NOTF , part of Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI) , located in University College Cork Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy, currently houses four pieces of wave and current testing infrastructure: the Deep Ocean Basin, the Ocean Basin, the Wave and Current Flume , and the Wave Watch Flume.
The tanks and flumes combined with the onsite electrically laboratory create a facility capable of providing small-scale testing for offshore renewable energy devices , according to Ocean Energy Ireland.
Honoring the milestone, Lir-NOTF will on Janury 18, 2019, host an official inauguration event, during which the keynote speech will be delivered by an Tánaiste Simon Coveney , the deputy head of government of Ireland, with Heather Humphreys , Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation for Ireland.
Representatives from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), who part funded the development of the facility, and leading industry partners from the ocean energy sector will also be present at the inauguration ceremony, said the organizers.
In early 2019, the Lir-NOTF plans to start the ISO/IEC 17025 certification process – a standard which governs the requirements for testing and calibration of laboratories – with the aim of obtaining full accreditation by fall.