how does it add up, page-10

Yes re pump, I understand the CETO development to be an incremental affair, quite sensibly trying working up to the final item a step at a time so the earlier steps are proven and so later steps can be incorporate the earlier experience gained. We've done one step, started the second and have at least one more to go.

So CETO I was really validating the concept of pressurised sea water as the power transfer to shore medium and the proposed pump design as a way of achieving it. All in a great big concrete box to ease tackling any issues arising – which certainly was a development platform rather than a production proposal. As it happens the pumps were powered by wave pressure but that bit didn’t prove anything as that method of actuation is now out the window to be replaced by the ‘balloon’ technique. If you know the history – was the pressure sensing disk originally intended to be the actuating mechanism, now superseded by a subsequent better idea, or was it always the plan to use balloons?

I’ve taken a glance at the appropriate patent, but I confess I’m still to figure out the pump’s operation. Probably very simple when you work out which bits do the moving!

Personally I’m very taken both with the water PTO idea, achieving seawater lubrication and the balloon concept. It all seems very elegant, slimmed down and fit for purpose. I like that major maintenance isn’t in-situ but swapping out the unit for land based attention. And pressurised seawater being precisely what reverse osmosis needs, cutting out the middleman of electricity generation, is beautiful.

But I recognise that these concepts aren’t what count in wave energy – rather low build and installation costs with low maintenance costs, whilst being adequately ruggedized to cope with a potentially harsh marine environment. And those must be really tough characteristics to evaluate – in particular 30 year storms don’t happen every day! Any manner of things that work technically but working economically is rather tough.

It’s clearly got to dump mechanical power somehow in a high sea state when the pump runs out of travel – do you know how it does it?

Re correcting misapprehensions – of course not if it’s the odd individual jumping to conclusions. But when it appears to be the bulk of the market it would seem to warrant a “we know of no reason for the price movement” which can go on to outline the general lie of the land and their optimism for a profitable involvement but acknowledge it’s not in place yet.