University of Exeter – FaBTest
FaBTest (Falmouth Bay Test Site) is an award-winning, pre-consented, 2.8km2 test area situated within Falmouth harbour, between three and five kilometres offshore in Falmouth Bay. The infrastructure provides demonstration opportunities for scaled or full scale devices, as well as providing scope for field demonstration of sub-systems such as moorings, foundations and umbilical cables are all supported.
FaBTest has a pre-consented status, which allows for up to three devices to be deployed concurrently, aims to provide a fast, flexible low risk and low cost solution for the testing of marine energy technologies, components, moorings and deployment procedures. The site offers water depths of 20m-50m and seabed types of rock, gravel and sand. Operational support of the site, as well as ongoing monitoring and world leading research is provided by the Renewable Energy Group from the University of Exeter, based on the nearby Penryn campus.
FaBTest has unique pre-consent for device demonstration which fit in to the envelope of licenced activity. Such devices require no additional lease of licences for deployment, reducing time and cost to developers. Full site survey and resource characteristics available to support planning, design and deployment process. The facility provides the opportunity to generate knowledge and test data through field demonstration for whole systems and sub-systems such as moorings, marine power cables and validation of numerical models. A minimum of 8 weeks is required to go through diligence process with FaBTest regulatory panel and the minimum of installation interval is 1 month.
More information available here: http://rid.eurocean.org/AddUpdateData/Details/10986