This morning Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond heralded a landmark achievement in renewable energy technology as he unveiled Aquamarine Power's new Oyster 800 wave energy generator at the Burntisland Fabrications yard - and Inhabitat was on the scene to bring you an exclusive first look! This impressive device can generate 250% more power at one third the cost of the first full-scale 315kw Oyster that was installed in Orkney in 2009. Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power commented: "A farm of just 20 Oyster 800 devices would generate sufficient power for up to 15,000 homes. There are often waves when there is no wind and marine energy offers an essential part of Scotland's future low carbon energy mix." Read on to learn more and check out our exclusive photos!
 

Oyster 800, wave energy generator, Aquamarine Power, Bifab, Oyster, Wave Power, Alex Salmond, Scotland, Hydro Electrics, renewable energy, sustainable design, green design, wave energy generationPhoto by Hazel Saunderson for Inhabitat
Scotland is renowned for its magnificent coastlines and delicious seafood – however, the latest denizen of the deep captured our attention for an entirely different reason – its ability to capture wave energy. The Oyster 800 operates in the same way as Oyster 1, but Aquamarine Power has used data and lessons learned from the first Oyster to significantly improve its power output, simplify installation and allow for easier maintenance. The device’s shape has been modified and made wider to enable it to capture more wave energy, and the two seabed piles system allows for easier installation.
Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power commented: “The Oyster 800 is a significant advance on our first Oyster device. Our dedicated engineering and R&D teams have designed it to be simpler, more robust and more efficient. This means we can offer 250 per cent more power at a third of the cost. Our goal is to make future Oysters cost competitive within the next few years. The Oyster 800 will help us gather the data that we need to deliver on that.”