"Despite wave-power companies being competitive developers, SUT...

"Despite wave-power companies being competitive developers, SUT and AMC were able to get all major developers active at the time to agree to the project, because all developers recognise that the performance of machines once grouped into farms is not well understood. Wave machines are quite unlike wind turbines, for which we can be reasonably confident, for example, that doubling the number of machines doubles the power delivered. Owing to physics peculiar to waves, it has been recognised for decades that multiple machines can interfere with each other either constructively or destructively, depending on their location relative to each other, potentially delivering far more power than planned – or far less power. For example, is it better to place the machines in a long row parallel to the coast, in several short rows, or … ? This layout impacts decision-making on how much coastline should be reserved for power generation, and the overall return on investment considering social, and, as noted below, environmental impacts."

For research to be carried out in a meaningful way, the research team would need an array consisting of multiple wave energy converters with the flexibility to be reconfigured.

Perhaps they could relocate the three CETO 5 buoys to Port Fairie where they could be deployed with the biowave device. By installing a number of anchor points in different configurations, they could monitor how the WEC's influence performance on each other.

CWE has many years of experience in gathering data from the operation of WECs, probably more than any other company in the world.

The Swinburne University research team seems to be suitably qualified to carry out this research. Funding from ARENA would mean that it comes at no cost to CWE.

For the purpose of experimentation, the on shore plant containing hydro turbines and desalination would not be required. All that would be needed would be somewhere to receive and annalyse the data sent from the sensors attached to the buoys.

They could replicate the test facility that CWE has off their compound at North Fremantle.