China's Vice Premier Li Keqiang (L) is escorted on a tour of the Pelamis Wave Power factory on Jan. 9, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo : Getty Images)
News reports have claimed that China's leading ship-building organization (CSIC) has been "stealing" technology related to wave-power from a company based in Scotland. China has declared these reports as baseless, void of any sense.
The Guardian report accuses the Chinese company of stealing information from the Scottish company Pelamis back in 2011. The stature of Pelamis as being an innovator in energy drew in China's delegation of 60 members.
The CSIC has claimed that this accusation is nonsensical and groundless. It issued this statement on Thursday to Global Times and added that the Chinese wave-energy product, Hailong, is solely premised on CSIC's prolonged efforts of research and development.
The business development director at Pelamis informed The Guardian of striking similarities between the two products, suspecting China's earlier visit to the company. However, the CSIC said that Hailong encompasses huge differences in design when compared to the Scottish product.
The CSIC also claimed that Hailong is crafted in a manner that would suit China's unique conditions and demands, rendering the Scottish suspicions invalid. The Pelamis is 40 meters long while its Chinese counterpart only 20 meters.
While the Pelamis has five pontoons along with four connecting pieces, the Hailong only possesses two pontoons with one connecting piece. Moreover, the Hailong's purpose is the power supply in China's independent islands.
Therefore, its design uniquely focuses on stable generation of power under 1 to 3 meters of wave height coupled with being able to survive under stormy conditions. In contrast, Pelamis' focus is on energy generation under much bigger waves.
According to the CSIC, it's downright illogical for the Scottish company to accuse China for stealing technology because when it comes to wave-energy devices, all designs are similar. Therefore, it's rather absurd for Pelamis to accuse CSIC for stealing their concept.
