Public are told of wave energy bid (From Dorset Echo)

Public are told of wave energy bid

1:40pm Monday 2nd November 2009 in News By Martin Lea

TRIALS of a pioneering green energy scheme off Portland could be up and running by next spring if funding is in place.

The Searaser scheme, which harnesses the power of the sea to generate electricity, needs at least £300,000 to go ahead to the first phase.

Inventor Alvin Smith told a meeting that Portland offered a lot of potential and he would be keen to conduct a trial on the western side of the island.

He has approached organisations such as the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) for support but admits he may need to look for commercial funding to get the scheme off the ground.

So far there has been no interest from this country but companies in the Middle East are said to be keen.

Supporters fear that Searaser will be a great British invention that may have to go abroad for it to see any chance of development.

Interest has been sparked in Weymouth and Portland after the borough council’s planning committee turned down a controversial £35million energy plant on the island.

Searaser is a clean renewable energy system and relatively simple to manufacture.

It involves a series of submerged pumps resembling yellow buoys piping water ashore and then running though a hydro turbine uphill to a reservoir to generate electricity on demand.

Mr Smith discussed his plans at a meeting hosted by the Weymouth and Portland Transition Town group.

Before the meeting he met with officials from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and toured sites on Portland.

A council spokesman said officers welcomed the opportunity to have initial discussion with Mr Smith about his approach to energy production.

Mr Smith, who is based in south Devon, said: “My visit and the subsequent meeting was positive on the whole.

“With funding in place and the right permissions I could start trials by the end of March. The trial would last six months to a year and people would be able to see it in action from the cliffs.”

He added: “There are marine businesses at Osprey Quay which could manufacture the product.

“This is an enormous opportunity for Portland.”

Offshore Renewable Energy Manager for SWRDA Jonny Boston said: “Searaser is a technology we are aware of and interested in. We are in the process of arranging to meet with the Searaser team to examine in more detail their proposals and to discuss how we might be able to help.”