Mocean Energy

Mocean Energy is a Scottish wave-energy technology company headquartered in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Founded in 2015 by Dr Cameron McNatt and Dr Chris Retzler, the company develops floating wave energy converters intended to provide reliable renewable electricity for offshore and subsea applications. Its technology is based on a hinged-raft attenuator: two floating sections articulate around a central nacelle containing the power-take-off system, converting the relative motion created by passing waves into electrical power. The company's development programme began through Wave Energy Scotland's Novel Wave Energy Convertor programme, a staged public-sector research and development initiative designed to advance promising wave-energy concepts from modelling and laboratory testing toward sea trials. Mocean was one of eight concepts selected for the first stage. Its work included numerical modelling, geometry optimisation, tank testing at the University of Edinburgh's FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility, concept engineering and cost analysis. In 2017, the company progressed to the second stage of the programme and received additional funding. Mocean's first major sea-going prototype was Blue X, a 28-metre-long, approximately 38-tonne wave energy converter with a rated output of 10 kilowatts. Fabricated in Scotland, Blue X underwent testing at the European Marine Energy Centre's Scapa Flow test site in Orkney during 2021. It operated at sea for 154 days, producing steady output of about 5 kilowatts and recording instantaneous peaks of up to 30 kilowatts. The trials gave Mocean operational experience with deployment, mooring, power generation and marine survivability. Blue X was subsequently reused in the Renewables for Subsea Power project, which examined whether wave energy could support autonomous underwater vehicles and other subsea equipment. In that system, electricity from the wave converter was transmitted through an umbilical cable to a Halo battery supplied by Verlume, which then powered an autonomous underwater vehicle supplied by Transmark Subsea. The project was supported by the Net Zero Technology Centre and attracted participation or support from energy companies including Baker Hughes, PTTEP, Serica Energy, Harbour Energy, TotalEnergies and Shell Technology. The sea deployment lasted 12 months and concluded in 2024. The project demonstrated Mocean's intended transition from wave-energy research toward practical offshore and subsea power services. The company's next major platform is Blue Horizon, a planned 250-kilowatt wave energy converter being developed through the EuropeWave programme. Blue Horizon is designed to produce approximately 25 times the rated power of Blue X while being about 2.5 times as long. Development has included 3D-printed scale models tested at FloWave, front-end engineering design and staged programme reviews. Mocean advanced to EuropeWave's second stage in 2022 and received approximately €3.7 million in programme support in 2023 to build and test a full-scale prototype. The planned test programme involves deployment at the European Marine Energy Centre's grid-connected Billia Croo site. Mocean's broader technical proposition combines a self-referenced wave energy converter, conventional mooring arrangements and a modular power take-off system. Because the converter generates power from flexing between its floating sections rather than relying primarily on a reaction against the mooring, the concept is intended to operate in deeper water with comparatively conventional station-keeping equipment. Its geometry is designed to balance power capture with survivability in severe seas, while the modular generator allows individual modules to be bypassed or replaced without removing and overhauling the entire generator. Small solar panels can supplement the wave-generated electricity. In 2024, Mocean also partnered with Proserv to pursue renewable power solutions for subsea control systems. The company remains an active developer rather than a mass-market energy supplier, with its commercial prospects tied to successful demonstration, cost reduction and deployment of larger wave-energy systems.

Mocean Energy was established in Edinburgh in 2015 by Dr Cameron McNatt and Dr Chris Retzler, both of whom hold PhDs from the University of Edinburgh. Retzler had previously been a founding member and principal scientist at Pelamis Wave Power, a Scottish wave-energy company that entered administration in 2014. Mocean was formed to develop a different hinged-raft approach to wave-energy conversion and to take the concept through engineering validation and marine demonstration. The company's early development was supported by Wave Energy Scotland's Novel Wave Energy Convertor programme. The programme used competitive, staged pre-commercial procurement, with stage-gate reviews determining which concepts would receive further development support. Mocean was one of eight concepts selected for the first stage. During this phase, it carried out numerical modelling, optimisation of the converter's geometry, tank tests at the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility, concept engineering and cost modelling. Models were tested at 1:50 and 1:20 scale. In April 2017, Mocean was one of five companies selected to continue to the second stage and received a further £730,000 in funding. The resulting technology is a floating attenuator made from two linked sections. A central nacelle connects the sections and houses the power take-off generator. As waves pass beneath the device, the sections move relative to one another and rotate about the hinge. That motion drives the generator. The design is described as self-referenced because it captures energy from the internal flexing of the device rather than depending on a large reaction force against the mooring. This is intended to permit more conventional mooring arrangements and support deployment in deeper water. Mocean's engineering work has focused on the trade-off between energy capture and survival in demanding marine conditions. The device's two sections have different dimensions and shapes, with sloping ends and the ability to undergo substantial hinge rotation. The geometry is intended to let large waves pass through the structure while limiting damaging loads. The company uses computational tools to assess alternative shapes and identify configurations that improve performance. Its power take-off uses a lightweight modular generator developed with CGEN Engineering and the University of Edinburgh. Individual generator modules can be bypassed when necessary and replaced separately, potentially reducing maintenance requirements and avoiding a complete generator overhaul. The floating platform can also carry small solar panels to supplement output. The first large-scale demonstration device, Blue X, was approximately 28 metres long, weighed about 38 tonnes and had a rated output of 10 kilowatts. AJS Production fabricated the device in Cowdenbeath. It was transported to Orkney by road and ferry and tested at the European Marine Energy Centre's Scapa Flow scale test site for five months beginning in June 2021. The original plan involved EMEC's Billia Croo grid-connected test site, but the actual demonstration took place through the Renewables for Subsea Power project. Blue X spent 154 days at sea, delivering steady output of around 5 kilowatts and instantaneous peaks of as much as 30 kilowatts. After the initial testing, Blue X became the generation asset for Renewables for Subsea Power. Announced in 2022, the project explored whether wave power could provide low-carbon electricity for autonomous underwater vehicles and subsea infrastructure associated with offshore energy operations. Verlume supplied the Halo battery, while Transmark Subsea supplied an autonomous underwater vehicle. The battery was charged through an umbilical connection from Blue X and then used to power the vehicle. The project received support from the Net Zero Technology Centre and involvement from several energy companies, including Baker Hughes, PTTEP, Serica Energy, Harbour Energy, TotalEnergies and Shell Technology. Mocean released footage of the converter operating during Storm Babet in October 2023, when significant wave height was reported at approximately 6 to 7 metres. The extended deployment concluded in March 2024 after 12 months at sea. Mocean then pursued a larger commercial-scale concept through EuropeWave, which followed the successful completion of the Wave Energy Scotland programme. The proposed Blue Horizon converter is rated at 250 kilowatts, approximately 25 times the nominal power of Blue X, while being about 2.5 times as long. In 2022, Mocean tested 1:50 and 1:25 scale 3D-printed models at FloWave as part of the first EuropeWave stage. The company progressed to the second stage in September 2022, where work focused on front-end engineering design and preparation for a full sea demonstration. In September 2023, it received approximately €3.7 million in EuropeWave support to construct and test the prototype. The intended test location is EMEC's grid-connected Billia Croo site, with a planned year-long deployment during 2025 or 2026. Mocean raised approximately £2.2 million in new equity in November 2023 to continue development. In October 2024, it partnered with Proserv to investigate renewable power solutions for subsea control systems. These activities reflect the company's emphasis on specialised offshore applications, where wave power may reduce dependence on diesel, shore power or battery-only systems. Mocean remains an active technology developer whose future commercial position depends on demonstrating dependable operation, reducing the cost of electricity and establishing repeatable deployment and maintenance models.

• 2024

  Renewables for Subsea Power deployment concludes

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The project completes a 12-month sea deployment using Blue X to charge a subsea battery for autonomous underwater vehicle operations.

• 2023

  EuropeWave awards support for Blue Horizon

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The company receives approximately €3.7 million to build and test a Blue Horizon prototype.

• 2022

  Renewables for Subsea Power is announced

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Mocean announces funding to reuse Blue X in a project supplying renewable power to subsea equipment and autonomous underwater vehicles.

• 2022

  Blue Horizon enters EuropeWave development

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Mocean advances to EuropeWave's second stage after testing scale models of its proposed 250-kilowatt converter.

• 2021

  Blue X completes sea testing

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The 10-kilowatt Blue X prototype operates for 154 days at EMEC's Scapa Flow test site in Orkney.

• 2017

  Progression in Wave Energy Scotland's NWEC programme

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Mocean becomes one of five concepts selected for the second stage of the Novel Wave Energy Convertor programme and receives a further £730,000 in support.

• 2015

  Mocean Energy is founded

  [1]Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Cameron McNatt and Chris Retzler establish the company in Edinburgh to develop floating hinged-raft wave energy converters.

An engineering-led developer of floating wave-energy converters for deep-water offshore and subsea applications, positioned around modular power generation, marine survivability and the replacement of fossil-fuel-powered subsea equipment.

• Wave energy converter · 2021

  Blue X

  Blue X is Mocean Energy's first major sea-going hinged-raft wave energy converter. The approximately 28-metre-long device has a rated output of 10 kilowatts and consists of two floating sections joined around a central power-take-off nacelle. It was fabricated in Scotland and tested at EMEC's Scapa Flow site in Orkney in 2021. The prototype later became the energy source for the Renewables for Subsea Power project, where it charged a subsea battery used to operate an autonomous underwater vehicle.

• Wave energy converter

  Blue Horizon

  Blue Horizon is the next-generation Mocean Energy wave energy converter being developed through EuropeWave. It is planned to have a rated power of 250 kilowatts, roughly 25 times that of Blue X, while being approximately 2.5 times as long. Development has included scale-model testing, computational design and front-end engineering. A full-scale prototype is intended for a year-long grid-connected sea trial at EMEC's Billia Croo site.

• Subsea renewable power system · 2022

  Renewables for Subsea Power

  Renewables for Subsea Power is an integrated demonstration system rather than a standalone converter model. It combined Mocean's Blue X wave energy converter with Verlume's Halo battery and a Transmark Subsea autonomous underwater vehicle. The system investigated whether wave-generated electricity could support subsea assets and autonomous operations, reducing reliance on diesel generation and other carbon-intensive power sources.

• 2022Renewables for Subsea Power

  North Sea · United Kingdom · Subsea energy

  Mocean, Verlume and Transmark Subsea demonstrated a wave-powered battery system for autonomous underwater vehicles and subsea infrastructure.

  Outcome. The deployment was extended to 12 months and concluded in March 2024, providing operational evidence for wave-powered subsea applications.

  Source
• 2022EuropeWave Blue Horizon programme

  Europe · United Kingdom · Wave energy

  Mocean developed and tested scale models of Blue Horizon through the EuropeWave staged research and development programme.

  Outcome. Mocean progressed to the second stage and obtained support for construction and testing of a larger prototype.

  Source
• 2021Blue X EMEC sea trial

  Orkney · United Kingdom

  Mocean deployed Blue X at EMEC's Scapa Flow test site to validate the converter's performance, marine operation and survivability at sea.

  Outcome. The device operated for 154 days, with reported steady generation of about 5 kilowatts and peaks of up to 30 kilowatts.

  Source

• 2024

  Pursue renewable power for subsea control systemsStrategy

  Background

  The company's subsea demonstration work created a basis for exploring renewable power beyond autonomous underwater vehicles.

  Action taken

  Mocean partnered with Proserv to pursue renewable power solutions for subsea control systems.

  Aftermath

  The partnership broadened the potential application of Mocean's wave technology within offshore energy infrastructure.

  Source

• 2023

  Raise equity for technology developmentOther

  Background

  Developing and testing larger wave-energy hardware requires additional private capital alongside public innovation support.

  Action taken

  Mocean raised approximately £2.2 million in new equity.

  Aftermath

  The funding was directed toward continued development of the company's wave-energy technology.

  New equity raised. £2.2 million (November 2023)

  Source

• 2022

  Repurpose Blue X for subsea powerStrategy

  Background

  The company sought an application in which relatively small quantities of renewable electricity could deliver value without competing immediately with large-scale grid generation.

  Action taken

  Mocean reused Blue X in a project combining wave generation, subsea battery storage and autonomous underwater vehicle operations.

  Aftermath

  The extended demonstration ran for 12 months and concluded in 2024, supporting the case for wave energy in offshore and subsea applications.

  Equity funding. £730,000 (2022)

  Source

• 2022

  Advance from Blue X to Blue HorizonGeneration change

  Background

  Following the completion of the NWEC development pathway, Mocean pursued a substantially larger converter capable of producing utility-scale offshore power.

  Action taken

  The company entered EuropeWave development with Blue Horizon, a planned 250-kilowatt wave energy converter.

  Aftermath

  Scale-model testing and engineering design progressed into the programme's second stage, followed by support for a full-scale prototype.

  Source

• 2021

  Deploy Blue X for sea demonstrationProduct launch

  Background

  After staged modelling and tank testing under Wave Energy Scotland's NWEC programme, Mocean needed a larger marine prototype to validate its technology outside laboratory conditions.

  Action taken

  The company fabricated and deployed the 10-kilowatt Blue X converter at EMEC's Scapa Flow test site in Orkney.

  Aftermath

  The prototype operated for 154 days and was later reused in the Renewables for Subsea Power project.

  Source

1. 1Mocean Energyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mocean Energy official websitemocean.energy