This project explored a new type of foundation system designed to reduce the cost and complexity of installing tidal and wave energy devices offshore and therefore drive down the Levelised Cost of the power they provide. Academics from Queen’s University Belfast worked with industrial partners from McLaughlin & Harvey, Aquamarine Power and Sound & Sea on research that focused on “tension piles”—anchors that are drilled into the seabed and tensioned to hold tidal and wave conversion energy devices securely in place.
Traditional offshore foundations are expensive and often rely on large vessels or heavy infrastructure in their installation. The tension pile system developed by this project offers a more flexible and cost-effective alternative, using smaller components that can be installed remotely and adapted to different seabed conditions, including hard rock.
The team carried out full-scale tests on land to simulate how the system performs under real-world forces, such as those caused by waves and tidal currents. These tests showed that the tension piles can resist significant horizontal loads and that their performance can be predicted using models developed for natural rock joints.
The findings suggest that this foundation system could help unlock the potential of tidal energy in places like Anglesea, the Pentland Firth and the Strangford narrows, where energy infrastructure could be developed to provide significant amounts of renewable electricity . By making installation cheaper and more reliable, the technology supports the growth of a sustainable marine energy industry and could lead to new jobs and investment in Northern Ireland and beyond.
This work is complementary to the CASE TTT projects and is a key contributor to the development of the Queen’s Marine Laboratory in Portaferry as a globally important site for the testing of marine energy converters.