Fetch Energy trials wave power prototypes in our labs

Fetch Energy is using its patent-pending technology to develop its first product – a small, portable wave energy generator targeted at the recreational maritime industry. Vessel owners would deploy this device, called Mantis, to supply electricity for onboard electronics when their boats are moored or anchored. 

Mantis uses only one moving part, a major simplification compared to earlier wave power designs that have required many more. By focusing on non-grid applications, the company aims to make wave power accessible to more people.

Having already run tests in the sea, Fetch Energy received funding from Innovate UK to verify the performance of the prototypes in simulated conditions. Fetch picked HR Wallingford from UK Research and Innovation's approved list of Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) for these trials.

Fetch Energy conducted two rounds of testing at our site, spaced a few months apart. This allowed the team to validate the first prototype, refine it, then assess improvements during the second phase. 

Harry Smith, Fetch's Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, explains: “At HR Wallingford, we had a controlled input so we can chose exactly what waves we put in. That means for one input we knew precisely what output the device was giving us, and we could start to characterise what the device is doing. I’m pleased to say we’ve seen a good improvement between the two prototypes.

“The tests here have fundamentally shown that Mantis works and has a pretty high conversion efficiency… important because it plays into the cost of electricity that's generated by it.”

In the wake of successful results in our labs, Fetch Energy is planning to start customer pilot trials in summer 2026, ahead of a planned full product launch in November.

Having proved the technology at micro scale, Fetch Energy plans rapid scale of its devices into commercial maritime and off-shore industry applications and, ultimately, into grid-scale wave power.