BEng Mechanical Engineering and PhD Medical and Health Care Studies. CO- FOUNDERS OF MARINE POWER SYSTEMS. ALUMNI PROFILES
Marine Power Systems (MPS) specialise in the manufacturing and supply of marine energy extraction hardware. They have developed a revolutionary, flexible, ocean energy technology that can be configured to capture floating wind power, wave power or combined wind and wave energy, at electricity grid scale. This flexible approach is unique globally and patented by MPS – and it could have a real impact on climate change. We spoke to Gareth and Graham about their time at University, their current roles and envisioning a future where MPS technology supplies clean, renewable ocean energy into the grid. What made you choose Swansea University for your studies ? GS: I looked at a few universities, but for me, Swansea was the undoubtedly clear choice. Having lived by the sea in Plymouth and Cornwall, Swansea felt similar to home – somewhere I could be independent, but that would also allow me to continue with my passion for water sports and surfing. Additionally, it had a fantastic reputation for Engineering, which I studied. I never looked back. One thing that Swansea University did for me, was to let me run with my own agenda. The department certainly empowered us as students to go out and do things and expand our horizons. Even back then, I thought that the facilities were excellent, but having visited the Bay campus recently, I can see that it has got better and better throughout the years. GF: The decision to study at Swansea was quite a straightforward one for me; I grew up by the beach in Cornwall and wanted to stay close to the sea for my studies. I had a very good fluid mechanics lecturer called Roger Griffiths: he had a way of making his subject interesting, relating abstract problems to the real world in a humorous way, and my interest in fluid engineering has stayed with me ever since. Where does your passion for renewable energy stem from and how did you turn this into a successful business model ? GF: I’ve always had an interest in renewable energy, been concerned about climate change, and wanted to work on projects that were positive for the world. The interest in wave energy specifically no doubt originated from being a surfer. It was clear to me that wave energy had huge potential and I would often mull over ways to capture the energy in an elegant way. GS: During my studies I did a lot of work in the renewable energy space, including building a small-scale tidal energy prototype. We met whilst I was studying for my PhD; Graham was another water sports enthusiast, with a phenomenal engineering mind, and in 2008 we realised we would like to start our own business.
The idea for the business was borne out of a realisation that whilst others had attempted to develop a system to extract energy from the sea, they hadn’t solved the challenges that existed in harnessing energy from the ocean, like installation and maintenance of the product. GF: After lots of failed thought experiments and discarded sketches we felt that we had something good enough to take forward. From then on it was a case of growing the business and developing the technology in incremental steps, each bigger (and costlier) than the last. GS: We didn’t know how far it would go at first – but it progressed rapidly, so we put significant personal funds into the business. We also secured fantastic support from Welsh Government grants. What are your highlights and biggest successes to date ? GF: I’d say our biggest success so far has been the testing of a 1:4 scale prototype of our wave energy technology – it brought together many years of work from a great team of people. To get to this one recognisable milestone there were many smaller successes under the radar: raising finance, solving technical problems, and bringing together a talented team being the main ones. I lead the technology development so naturally one of the most rewarding aspects of the role is seeing the technology come to fruition, but leading and developing the team, and steering the company strategically are equally rewarding. GS: We’ve had a number of big successes since we began, but manufacturing and testing the scaled prototype that was tested at sea in Cornwall that proved all the novelties of the design – a £6m project, partly financed by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) is definitely a highlight. Off the back of the success, we have been granted
20
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker