Cyan is an Irish company formed in 2008 that is developing the CyanWave WEC.
To date, c. €400,000 has been invested, including c. €150,000 grant funding from SEAI/OEDU, as well as recent EU MARINET research funding.
The CyanWave WEC is based on the maximisation of energy flux capture in the higher energy nearshore wave sites (greater than 30kW/m average and between 30m and 50m water depths). The approach is based on overtopping into multiple reservoirs, whereby both the potential and kinetic energy of the waves is captured as hydraulic energy. This energy is subsequently converted to electricity using hydro turbines. This involves using a combination of developed hydrodynamic knowledge and proven methods from other experienced disciplines e.g. offshore oil and gas, coastal protection and low-head hydropower.
To date, five stages of testing have been carried out in the wave basin facilities of both HMRC, Cork and Queen’s University Belfast, in scales ranging from 1:68 to 1:34. Both hydraulic efficiency and extreme wave forces (up to 26m at full-scale height) have been tested for, and there is now a comprehensive set of data that illustrate the overall feasibility of this concept. As part of an overall plan that aims for commercialisation around 2020, the next stage of development will involve the construction of a new model between 1:10 and 1:15 scale that will be tested for performance at a benign external site in Ireland. In addition, further work will be carried out on the optimisation of the power take-off system, and other elements such as the potential addition of wind turbines to the overall structure.
