IRISH OCEAN energy company Wavebob is leading a consortium which has been given just over €5 million in EU funds to test a full-scale wave energy converter off the Portuguese coast.

The six-company consortium, known as “Standpoint”, will invest a further €3.4 million in the project, which involves testing technology initially developed by Wavebob in Galway Bay.

Companies from four other EU member states, including Portugal, Spain, Germany Sweden, will work with Wavebob on the full-scale, grid-connected wave energy converter; it is expected that trials will last three years.

Portugal is regarded as an optimum Atlantic test site in the international race to develop resilient, efficient and cost-effective full-scale wave energy turbines. Last year, three wave energy converters capable of generating 750kw of power each were anchored off the Portuguese coast by Scottish company Pelamis, but encountered technical problems.

Wavebob has been conducting sea trials since 2006., and generated electricity in 2007 from the Spiddal test site in Galway bay. It expects full testing of the Portuguese project will begin in a year’s time.

Dr Imelda Lambkin, Enterprise Ireland national director for the EU’s seventh framework programme, said the EU support for Wavebob represented “a fantastic result for an Irish small and medium enterprise”, against stiff competition across Europe.

“It proves that Irish research and development is highly regarded internationally,” Dr Lambkin said. “Irish companies won €32.4 million in EU research funding in the first two years of this programme”.

Last week, the Oireachtas committee on climate change and energy security called for substantial financial support for research into ocean energy.