§ 13. Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress he can report towards the use of sea waves for the generation of electricity.
§ Mr. EadieSubstantial progress has been made in the theoretical and experimental understanding of wave energy and 469W of the ways in which that energy can be tapped. Open water trials have been conducted on two different generator designs in Loch Ness and in the Solent, and the four leading devices have been subjected to detailed engineering evaluation. Results so far have highlighted a number of areas in which further work will be needed and these were discussed at a conference organised by the Department recently. Abstracts of contributions to the conference have been placed in the Library.