Profile

Photo:

Ray Alcorn

Curriculum Vitae

  • Work History:

    UK, Australia, Ireland

  • Current Job:

    Run a research centre

  • Employer:

    1. University College Cork 2. My Own company Exceedence.com that I have just started

  • My Work: Getting Power from the ocean. From waves,from tides and from wind.

  • Read more

    Here is a Youtube link to a typical project that we would do.  I was project manager on this and what we did was take an idea the whole way from a concept, through the lab to a prototype unit deployed at sea in Galway. ….and it worked

    A Typical Research Project in Wave Energy – FP7 CORES

    Our National Research project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and is called MaREI (Marine renewbale energy ireland).  I has over 40 companies involved and most Universities.  It is run by UCC and will quickly progress the industry over the next 6 years.  www.marei.ie

    We run the only wave test facilities in Ireland.. Wave Paddles and they are pretty awesome, kind of like a big swimming pool with wave makers. Here we are testing a unit  Some Tank testing with Bulls Eye Waves

    Now, we are building BRAND NEW facility in Ringaskiddy, Cork.  It make Ireland the best place in the world to research and develop ocean energy.  Should be finished early next year.  Here is a youtube  flythrough  New Beaufort Building

     

    Here is me at our tank with some students from Italy

    I have just set up a new company to help Marine Renewable companies more financially attractive to investors with an innovative piece of software.  www.exceedence.com  and https://twitter.com/Exceedence

     

  • My Typical Day: Meet inventors, develop ideas, innovate, research, plan, find funding, google, think, talk, email, tweet, travel (I am writing this from Halifax,Nova Scotia), Test (sometimes in wave wanks)

  • What I'd do with the money: Create a portable ocean energy demo kit for Schools

  • Read more

    I would use the money to modify a small portable wave tank (like a big fish tank) along with some model ocean energy devices.  This kit of resources would be freely available for any school to request and they can borrow it for teaching and demonstration purposes.   Here we have the kit that UCC and SFI MaREI made

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEMK4W2Zj3c&feature=youtu.be

    And here is me standing in front of it.

     

     

     

    With the prize money I would modify it and ensure that the system has a fully interactive front end (using something like an ipad) to control the tank and view how each device is working.    I would then get a student intern to help me and then each year I would engage an intern to go around schools with the equipment.

     

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      innovative, enthusiastic, hardworking

      What's the best thing you've done in your career?

      Built a 500 Tonne Prototype Wave Energy device in Australia… AND IT WORKED. I remember the day I switched it on and it started generating electricity.. very cool

      What or who inspired you to follow your career?

      My Granda and my Dad. My Dad worked in Harland & Wolff shipyrad (the place they built Titanic). Sometimes he took me in to see the cranes and the ships and I just thought they were brilliant for building such marvels.

      What did you want to be after you left school?

      rich

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Yes

      If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

      An electrician…or a chef..or a pilot… Something I enjoy anyway

      Who is your favourite singer or band?

      GnR

      What's your favourite food?

      could be Pizza

      What is the most fun thing you've done?

      Learning to Fly.. planes and more recently helicopters

      If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

      1. To be the best at what I do 2. For Ocean energy to become mainstream 3. A nice Ferrari

      Tell us a joke.

      what do you call a man with a car on his head?…….. Jack.. his brother Cliff had a seagull on his head.

Questions answered by Ray

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