WES has managed numerous projects resulting from pre-commercial procurement funding calls in six main topic areas: power take-off, novel wave energy converters, structural materials and manufacturing processes, control systems, quick connection systems, and next generation wave energy.
The Energy Minister Fergus Ewing announced an initial budget for the body of £14.3 million over 13 months at the RenewableUK conference in February 2015.
[4] This sets out a clear evaluation methodology for the technical development and cost-effectiveness of wave and tidal energy technologies.
In March 2015, WES announced the fist call of their development programme, for innovative power take-off systems.
Depending on the status of the technology, projects of £100k to £4m were sought, with successful applicants eligible to claim 100% of the cost of development.
[33] In July 2023, a call was launched for concept designs that would directly convert motion into electricity, harnessing novel flexible electrostatic polymers and elastomers.
[39] In December 2020, together with the Basque Energy Agency (Ente Vasco de la Energía or EVE), WES set up the EuropeWave programme.
[44] In April 2024, CETO secured a berth to test at BiMEP and also passed the authorisation to proceed milestone, enabling them to award the first contracts for fabrication of the device.
The former as part of the inception of Wave Energy Scotland, hiring 12 former Pelamis employees including CEO Richard Yemm.
[48] WES maintain an online Knowledge Library as part of their website, to provide access to information and documents from their extensive technology development programmes.