Pliosaur Energy Ltd, established in January 2012, was created to exploit a renewable energy invention aimed at converting both wave and tidal energy into electricity. The key innovation was focused on increasing the accessible energy density to enhance turbine power output, making renewable electricity production more commercially viable. To accelerate the development process, digital prototyping was prioritized early on, leading to the selection of Autodesk as the preferred software provider (Autodesk, 2012). After entering Autodesk's Cleantech Partnership Programme in May 2012, Pliosaur Energy explored various prototypes and filed for a UK patent in January 2014. This was followed by a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application in December 2014, funded through a grant from Innovate UK, under the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (Innovate, 2014).
In December 2014, Pliosaur Energy approached Plymouth University for independent verification of its technology, initiating the possibility of future collaboration. The company also engaged with the Marine Innovation Centre (MARIC), whose support was instrumental in validating and further developing Pliosaur Energy's renewable energy technology. MARIC identified a critical draught issue, which was later confirmed through wave tank testing in 2019 (HR Wallingford 2019). This validation led to a breakthrough in turbine design, significantly enhancing the technology's performance and commercial viability.