Wales’ leading wave energy company has entered into a collaboration with Swansea University to develop a mechanical engineering PhD scholarship that will provide a successful student with the opportunity to help progress production of the firm’s innovative wave energy converter (WEC).
Swansea-based Marine Power Systems (MPS), a company developing revolutionary technology designed to harness wave energy, has joined with the university’s Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) II programme to investigate the underlying physical principles of hydrodynamic interaction between wave energy converters.
It is anticipated that development of a computational model and validation via physical testing will be a vital new tool for MPS to understand, optimise and assess arrays of wave devices.
The scholarship is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.
MPS’ unique WaveSub device is due for deployment later in 2016. The WaveSub will provide a reliable renewable energy source through harnessing the energy from ocean waves. The technology being developed at MPS has huge potential to contribute to energy security targets globally and will reduce reliance on unpredictable and non-renewable energy supplies.
The WaveSub project has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, with MPS receiving a £2 million grant in October 2015.
Dr Gareth Stockman, managing director of Marine Power Systems, said:
“This scholarship offers a great opportunity for students with a degree within the fields of engineering, applied mathematics or physics, to gain a thorough understanding of interacting floating bodies with application to our unique wave energy converter, the WaveSub.
“As a graduate of Swansea University myself, we are really pleased as a company to maintain a strong relationship with the university through this scholarship and hope the successful student will find the programme beneficial to a future within the marine energy sector.”
Dr Ian Masters, Associate Professor at the College of Engineering at Swansea University, said:
“Unlocking the potential of wave energy will make a huge contribution to our low carbon energy needs. The physics of waves is also a really interesting intellectual challenge and I will enjoy supervising this project. It will make use of our world class facilities at the new Bay Campus.”
Click here for more information on the scholarship or to apply.
The closing date for applications for the scholarship is Friday 22 July 2016.
Original Article by Business News Wales, Tidal Energy Today and Renews.
