1. The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy
Jim Grant
University of Exeter &
Member of the PRIMaRE Management Board

2. The South West’s Landscape
“South West England is on the way to becoming an international centre for marine renewable energy”
- Natural assets: wave, tidal range and tidal stream.
- Home to great businesses including two of the world’s outstanding tidal stream device developers based in Bristol.
- South West businesses are working in virtually every major European marine renewable energy project.
- A rich maritime history and leading marine science organisations based in the region
- The RDA has developed the Wave Hub,
a £42m renewable energy project off
Cornwall operational from summer 2010.
- The Peninsula Research Institute for
Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE)

3. PRIMaRE A partnership between the Universities of Exeter & Plymouth
A £12.8M programme to strengthen the research capability of the South West
Funded by the South West RDA and EU ERDF Programmes

4. Business Plan Ambition
“… PRIMaRE to meet the immediate needs of the emerging marine renewable energy sector in the Peninsula and to address the wider considerations for renewable energy globally.”
“ Funds will be used to secure additional intellectual research capacity and major capital equipment to support …Wave Hub..”
Ambition
“…South West England… to become a world-leading area. Contributing to the understanding of the construction, deployment, operation, performance and impact of wave energy conversion devices”

5. Key Aspects Appointment of internationally leading researchers
Creation of unique, world-class research facilities & infrastructure
Leverage of further research funding using the start-up funds
Developing links with developers and industry
Implementing a knowledge exchange strategy

6. Research Themes Wave Resource characterisation Marine Operations
Surface and subsea electrical systems
Navigation
Environmental Impact
Policy & Socio-economic factors

7. PRIMaRE’s Research Domain
Environments: Policy – planning, socio-economic, legal, etc
Physical, biological & ecological impacts
Stakeholders - fishermen, shipping, surfers
Wave Energy
Device
Offshore Energy
Array management
Output: “rough” electrical energy – needs ‘conditioning’ for grid connection
Moorings & anchoring systems /foundations: coupling affects response dynamics
Devices
Inputs: climate, waves, wind, tidal stream - energy inputs design extremes & constraints
Generic challenges & tools: - numerical modelling (wave/device interaction)
- electrical simulation modelling
- reliability, availability modelling
- testing facilities (devices, components, etc.)
- Installation / Operation
- Control systems,

8. Infrastructure Development
South West Moorings test facility
Electrical Laboratory to model real life systems
Dynamic Marine Component test facility
Wave Basin
Wave buoy array / ADCPs / HF Radar
High Performance Computing Clusters
Environmental Measurement

9. Outcomes
£27m research portfolio - from UK research councils (EPSRC, NERC), TSB, KTPs. EU (FP and Interreg)
Research and Business Conferences
Publications
Over 250 Businesses engaged

10. Contact details Jim Grant Research & Knowledge Transfer
University of Exeter
THANK YOU