Abstract
As part of the implementation of the original Ocean Energy Strategy (2006), a ¼ scale wave energy test site has been operational in Galway Bay for 10 years. This proposed foreshore lease application for the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site (MARETS) is an evolution of the original test site and will provide enhanced research capabilities and test infrastructure. The upgrade of the test site is an integral component of Ireland’s OREDP and will facilitate testing and validation of various ocean energy converters and prototypes in conditions that represent ¼ scale of the open Atlantic Ocean environment.
The proposed development will provide a national cabled test facility, to which wave energy converters can be connected during testing phases, and where other marine technologies and componentry can be tested and evaluated. The experience gained from deployment at the test site will assist commercial scale wave energy production in the future at suitable locations around the Irish Coast.