A pioneering new project designed to harness the power of the waves has gone live off the coast of Falmouth.

The BOLT “Lifesaver” wave energy converter was created by Norwegian engineering company Fred Olsen and is now being put through its paces at “FabTest”, a marine energy test site in the sheltered waters of Falmouth Bay.

Designed to create clean, green electricity from the motion of the ocean, the device works by acting like an upside-down yo-yo, with onboard generators sparking into life as the equipment moves up and down relative to the seabed.

David Ellis, chairman of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, said: “The deployment of the BOLT “Lifesaver” device is an historic moment, not only for Falmouth but for the entire marine renewable sector in the South West.

“We set up FabTest in response to demand from industry and are proud to have been instrumental in getting this groundbreaking project up and running.

“It is the only example of which we are aware of a harbour authority taking out a Crown Estate lease for the purposes of testing marine energy devices – it is very unusual,” he added.

Tore Gulli, project director from Fred Olsen Ltd said the company was proud to be the first users of the FabTest facility and that they had found some “good partners” in the area.

He added: "Through the extensive marine experiences of Fred Olsen and related companies, we have learned the considerable value that detailed, careful sea testing of new marine devices offers projects such as BOLT Lifesaver.

“We very much welcome the initiative from Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, University of Exeter and the other partners to make the FabTest a reality.”

FabTest was created as a partnership project between Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, Wave Hub, the University of Exeter, A&P Group, Cornwall Marine Network and Mojo Maritime, all of whom provide advice, expertise and support to the industry.

The unique test site, which is not connected to the grid, is around a mile south of St Anthony Head and can also test floating wind energy devices.

It gives developers the chance to test devices in a near shore environment that is easily accessible.

Tests include investigating structural integrity, response behaviour, mooring/umbilical behaviour, subsea components, monitoring systems and deployment procedures in moderate sea conditions.

It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 16 kilometres off the north coast of Cornwall in 2010.

Paul Weston, marine renewable projects manager at A&P Falmouth, said: “Working closely with Fred Olsen, our highly skilled employees carried out the manufacture and steel fabrication of the device, while maintaining a production engineering cost analysis designed to reduce the cost of energy.

“We believe the South West is realising its objective to become a leading region in marine renewable energy and are perfectly positioned to support the development and growth of the sector.”