SEMINAR: OI Seminar Series - Dr Laurence Mann

Title: Perth Wave Energy Project – An Example of Multidisciplinary Ocean Engineering

Abstract: Carnegie’s first grid-connected CETO wave energy project is to be located at Garden Island in Western Australia as a result of the recent award of a $9.9m Federal Government grant from the Australian Government’s Emerging Renewables Program (ERP). This is matched with $5.5m in grant funding from the Government of Western Australia's Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) program. The project is expected to cost $32m and will be up to 2MW in capacity. Detailed design, community consultation and approvals processes are all well underway with construction and commissioning of the Project scheduled for 2013 and first power due for delivery into the grid by early 2014. This commercial scale wave energy demonstration project draws together several disciplines of ocean engineering including; oceanography; ecology; near and offshore engineering; and offshore foundation systems. The presentation will outline the CETO wave energy project and highlight those aspects of project activity where there may be overlap with the areas of core interest to the UWA Oceans Institute.

Bio: Dr Mann is involved in the capture, analysis, translation and refinement of ideas, and in creating draft specifications for all Carnegie patents. He is also responsible for maintaining the current patent portfolio and dealing with the necessary progression of patent applications to worldwide and national phase applications and for the creation of due diligence documentation based around the intellectual property. Laurie has a wealth of experience in Australia and Silicon Valley, USA, as a manager of and active participant in basic research, high technology product development, technical marketing, intellectual property development, and R&D. He has worked in academia (Stanford University), industry (NASA and US Government sponsored projects), research and consulting environments in Australia and the USA and has a well-developed instinct for research and development and intellectual property development.