Zoex Power completes third phase of wave energy trials (Video)

Aberdeen-based Zoex Power has concluded Phase III of its (Ordu) project, having collected three months of data and achieved technology readiness level (TRL) 7, with no incidents.

The company said it retrieved the acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) from the seabed and lifted the arm, marking the completion of the current testing phase. Report writing is now underway ahead of the planned start of Phase IV next year.

The project is supported by Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise, and several industry partners, including Sealand Projects, UMBRAGROUP, the University of Strathclyde, and the Ordu Municipality.

Zoex Power wave energy trials

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Founded by CEO Ash Penley, Zoex is the UK’s only female-founded wave energy company. It aims to displace diesel generators in remote marine locations with modular wave power systems targeting aquaculture, offshore wind, oil and gas, and port infrastructure.

Zoex’s link-arm system is designed to attach to existing marine infrastructure and features impact-resistant floats, a lifted-up and/or submerged survival mode, and no mechanical end stops for durability in harsh environments, all of which was said to be proven during this test.

The company has also reported overcoming one of the key technical challenges in wave energy -mechanical end stop limitations.

According to Zoex, many previous wave energy systems have struggled to balance efficiency and survivability, as directly connecting the power take-off (PTO) between two bodies exposes the system to a trade-off between stroke length and potential end-stop damage.

Zoex said its patented gearing mechanism addresses this issue, enabling efficient generation in small waves while maintaining system integrity in high sea states.

On September 26, the company observed this performance during 1.5-meter wave conditions. Penley noted: “The PTO was reaching its stroke limit with no damage thanks to our patented gearing mechanism. The same gearing mechanism also made the system the device work efficiently at wave heights as small as 20cm of waves. We reached full rated power at 1m, which is a wave height that can be found at 80% of the oceans, which makes the world our oyster.”

In August, Zoex Power deployed its wave energy technology for testing in the Black Sea, Türkiye, with initial results showing higher generation than anticipated.