Monday the 11th of October marked the next phase of the Symphony Wave Power technology. Ending the basepoint project en transferring into Encore. During a very successful  Ocean Energy workshop in Sines, Portugal, the results of the turbine testing (the BASEPOINT project) were  presented by Symphony’s founder Fred Gardner, together with Frank Neumann from In2Sea. Fred also explained more about the point absorber that converts wave pressure into electricity through the innovative hydraulic power take-off (PTO) system.

The first in-person event after COVID restrictions was held in the Sines Technopolo which provided a platform for Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish wave energy  experts like WEDGE Global and Kymaner and Teamwork Technology. They presented their projects, results and spoke about challenges for the future of wave energy. The afternoon was dedicated to green ports development, through presentations and a round table with port representatives, from Valencia, Sines and Aveiro.

       

Successful end of the BASEPOINT project

This event marked the conclusion of the BASEPOINT testing program – funded by Fundo Azul (Portuguese Ministry of the Sea) and managed by Frank Neumann of in2sea. The project supported the construction of the test set up and the tests of the Symphony Wave Power turbine.

 The next phase: drytest under ENCORE

The turbine will be transported back to the Netherlands to be added to the full drytest setup of the whole device and further power performance trials in Den Helder at facilities of Multimetaal, who recently invested in the company. This next phase is part of the ENCORE.

The encore project

Peter Scheijgrond who was also in Portugal to explain the Encore project.;“The two projects, Basepoint and ENCORE, are an example of how public-private partnerships can be for successfull and at the same time share the financial risks.  “A similar approach could be implemented in other projects with great potential to contribute to net-zero energy transition as well to ensure their successful delivery.”

Event insights

New insights were found, friendships were renewed and connections were made. The event also provided insights into the current state of wave energy development in general. Annemarie Hoffman (manager Strategy & Finance of Teamwork): ‘This Ocean Energy workshop not only marked the next phase of the Symphony Wave power, it also emphasized the importance of the collaboration between developers, investors and governments. We need to work together to fund projects and make sure this beautiful technology becomes reality in the near future.’

The event was organized by Portuguese-based marine energy expertise hub In2SEA together with Teamwork Technology, and hosted by Sines Technopolo.