SEM-REV, Offshore test site

Operational multi-technology testing equipment

The SEM-REV is a fully fitted wave energy test facility intended to test and improve the efficiency of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) at an early stage of development. This test facility is aimed at helping the marine renewable energies sector grow in France and Europe. It was created in 2007 by Centrale Nantes and, since 2023, it is managed by the OPEN-C Foundation. 

The SEM-REV package

Operations are supervised from the land station in Le Croisic – west coast of France - by a dedicated team with all the required equipment to ensure operability, security and safety of data acquisition, energy converter control and survey. Environmental monitoring is operational since 2009, and the connection HUB was installed in the summer 2015 and thus the site is now 100% operational.

In brief, the SEM-REV package is:

• Provide a fully consented slot for installation operation and maintenance.
• Electricity resale management for grid connected testing.
• Storage or dissipation alternatives for off-grid projects.
• Offices and data access (met-ocean and device monitoring) for test campaign supervision.
• Maintenance of the equipment and tools in operational conditions.
• Link with local marine stakeholders (sea users, state services, operators, marine surveyor…).
• Environmental Impact Assessment for both the test site and the devices.

 

www.sem-rev.ec-nantes.fr/

• Water depth - 32m to 36m LAT
• Seabed - Sand (0.2-0.5mm)
• Export cable - 8MVA – 20kV
• 3 test slots - 24 optical fibers
• Wave - 3 Datawell buoys
• Current, tide - 2 ADCP systems
• Wind - 2 meteo-buoys
• Tidal range  - 6.2m
• Max tidal current (10years) - 0.7m/s
• Mean wave energy  - 12 kW/m
• Extreme Hs (10years) - 8.3m
• Extreme Hs (50years) - 9.6m
• Mean wind velocity - 7.5 m/s (1h,10m)
• Extreme Wind (50years) - 29m/s (1h,10m)

• Land station: research centre and electrical substation.
• Export cable: 20kV and 24 fibre optics.
• 1km² restricted and marked area.
• Subsea termination units, for three simultaneous connections.
• LiDAR-Light Detection And Ranging
• Met-Ocean instrumentation (wind, wave and current).