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PRIMRE/Databases/Projects Database/Test Sites/Falmouth Bay Test Site (FaBTest)
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Falmouth Bay Test Site (FaBTest)
FaBTest offers a uniquely pre-consented test site to marine energy converter device developers seeking a short term test site for eligible devices and sub-systems. Covering a total area of 2.8 km2, FaBTest consists of three test berths that are between 3 km and 5 km offshore in Falmouth Bay.
The site is sheltered from prevailing south westerly wind and swell, enabling the high levels of accessibility to deployed devices required for development at TRL 4-8, yet giving exposure to significant sea states from the east and southeast directions. FaBTest allows the testing of marine energy technologies (concepts or full scale devices), components, moorings and deployment procedures in a moderate wave climate. The peak tide height range is around 6.0 m while the peak tidal surface current is about 0.8 m/s. The site offers water depths from 15 m on the northern boundary to 50 m on the eastern side of the southern boundary. The seabed is a combination of rock, gravel and sand.
Device Status
Is the test site actively testing or in planning (active)? Or is it permanently closed for business (inactive)?
Active
Energy Resource
- Wave
Duration
2011 -
Ongoing
Max Load Capacity
The maximum amount of electricity that can be accommodated at the test site, based on cable capacity.
15 MW
Grid Connectivity
Not Grid Connected
Number of Berths
3
Waterbody
Falmouth Bay, England, United Kingdom
Site Characteristics
Geographic characterization for the test site location:
- Open Ocean: Main body of ocean, not enclosed or partially enclosed by land
- Coastal: Open water near the coast, spanning between land and shelf boundary
- Enclosed Bay: water that is partially surrounded by land, with a mouth open to larger water
- Constricted Channel: A channel where water flows quickly due to narrowing by the land
- River: Water flowing from land towards a larger body of water
Enclosed Bay
Country
United Kingdom
Environmental Details
Last Modified
30 May 2025
This Test Site has the following MRE Devices
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Citation Formats
“Falmouth Bay Test Site (FaBTest).” Marine Energy Projects Database: Test Sites, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Test_Sites/Falmouth_Bay_Test_Site_(FaBTest). Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.
Marine Energy Projects Database: Test Sites. <year>. "Falmouth Bay Test Site (FaBTest)." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Test_Sites/Falmouth_Bay_Test_Site_(FaBTest).
