Double funding boost for direct generation technology solutions

In the UK, 4c Engineering has been awarded £200,000 to continue research into DG technology for WEC by Wave Energy Scotland (WES) under the Round 2 Direction Generation competition. 4c Engineering is partnering with Italy’s Cheros Srl for this project.

DG is the application of novel electrostatic generation technologies. In the application of wave energy, Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) and Dielectric Fluid Generators (DFGs) can directly transform movement (stretching, twisting, bending) of a material, into electrical energy. This offers opportunities for significant cost reduction of WEC technologies, as a much larger proportion of the device can be made from material which is actively converting wave energy to electricity.

Over the next nine months, the team will consider the challenges of elastomer fatigue, flexible electrodes, cell-based generator design and materials selection.

Internationally, 4c Engineering has been awarded one of the InDEEP Phase II prizes by the US Department of Energy (DoE).  The prize of $80,000, awarded for a practical demonstration of the same technology that 4c Engineering and Cheros have been exploring under the Wave Energy Scotland Direct Generation Programme, recognises the innovation and effort of the team, and the potential of the technology.