The WestWave Project
WestWave is a collaborative project between the major players in the Irish wave energy development sector, who share the common goal of putting Ireland at the forefront of ocean energy globally. The project brings technology developers, electricity providers and Government bodies together to demonstrate how wave farms can be built and operated in Ireland.
WestWave aims to install and operate wave energy converters capable of generating 5MW of clean electricity by 2015, while harvesting only a tiny fraction of the massive power hitting the west coast of Ireland. By building a wave farm of 5MW, the project will demonstrate Ireland’s ability to construct, deploy and operate wave energy converters. It will also pave the way for commercial projects, in terms of consenting procedures, such as foreshore licensing, permitting, electrical grid access and local infrastructure.
WestWave represents the third and final step in the Irish Government’s Ocean Energy Strategy before commercial projects can begin to achieve the Government’s target of 500MW by 2020.