Abstract
The University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP) in partnership with Mowlem plc and Royal Haskoning, are developing an innovative and patented new wave energy device known as the ‘Manchester Bobber’. The Manchester Bobber’s inventive features utilise the rise and fall (or ‘bobbing’) of the water surface. This movement transmits energy, which is then extracted by the mechanics to drive a generator and produce electricity. The vision is to have a series of Bobbers working together to generate electricity. One concept which is currently being explored is the use of decommissioned offshore rigs as platforms for the devices. Professor Peter Stansby, co-inventor of the Manchester Bobber and Professor of Hydrodynamics at The University of Manchester, said: “Offshore wave energy represents a substantial concentrated ‘green’ energy source for an island state like the UK. “Energy from the sea may be extracted in many ways and harnessing the energy from the bobbing motion of the sea is not a new idea. It is the hydrodynamics of the float employed by the Manchester Bobber that provides the vital connection to generating electricity”.
