{{Short description|British inventor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Use British English|date=April 2015}} '''Richard Yemm''' is the British inventor of the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter and was director of the former Pelamis Wave Power, a company he founded in Edinburgh in 1998.<ref name="ScotGov"/><ref name="BBC2012"/> In 2014 he co-founded a new company, Quoceant, who are engineering consultants specialising in marine energy and technology innovation.
==Biography== Yemm studied mechanical engineering at the University of Edinburgh from 1985 to 1989, graduating with a first class honours degree.<ref name="ScotOil"/> As an undergraduate, he was also awarded a Half Blue for sailing in 1986–87 by the Edinburgh University Sports Union, denoting performance to a high standard.<ref name="EUSU"/> He completed his PhD in 1994<ref name="ScotOil"/> under Professor Stephen Salter, former Saltire Prize medallist<ref name="ScotGov"/> and inventor of the Edinburgh duck wave energy device.
He went on to pursue a career as a self-employed design and development engineer on renewable energy projects,<ref name="SIE"/> gaining experience in the wind energy industry.<ref name="EEI"/> He invented the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter for generating electricity from marine waves, and established Ocean Power Delivery Ltd in 1998 to develop the product.<ref name="SIE"/> The company is now called Pelamis Wave Power Ltd. Yemm was CEO until August 2007, raising substantial investment and gaining commercial orders from 2005 onwards.<ref name="EEI"/> He then became CTO of the company.
Yemm was chairman of the Board of Scottish Renewables trade association for over five years,<ref name="EEI"/> and is active in promoting renewable and wave energy.
==Recognition== In March 2012 Yemm was presented with the Saltire Prize medal by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. The chief executive of Scottish Renewables, Niall Stuart, said, "Richard Yemm will undoubtedly be looked upon as one of the most influential people to the development of Scotland's marine industry; from the drawing board to grid connected devices and making important steps to commercial scale projects."<ref name="BBC2012"/> Yemm was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard Yemm |url=https://raeng.org.uk/about-us/fellowship/new-fellows-2018/richard-yemm |access-date=25 February 2025 |website=Royal Academy of Engineering |language=en}}</ref>
==References== <references>
<ref name="BBC2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17526389|publisher=BBC News|title=Saltire Prize medal for inventor of Pelamis wave 'sea snake'|date=28 March 2012|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> <ref name="ScotGov">{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/03/SaltirePrizeMedalYemm280032012|title=Pelamis founder honoured for key role in marine energy |date=28 March 2012|publisher=The Scottish Government|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> <ref name="ScotOil">{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishoilclub.org.uk/071115.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307071134/http://www.scottishoilclub.org.uk/071115.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=7 March 2016|title=Richard Yemm, Founder and Chief Technical Officer, Ocean Power Delivery, Limited|date=23 March 2012|publisher=The Scottish Oil Club|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> <ref name="EUSU">{{cite web|url=http://alumni.eusu.ed.ac.uk/index.php?s=content&p=Blues|publisher=Edinburgh University Sports Union Alumni Association|title=Blues & Half Blues|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> <ref name="SIE">{{cite web|url=http://www.sie.ed.ac.uk/resources/Richard%20Yemm.htm|title=Richard Yemm, Ocean Power Delivery|date=10 December 2002|work=Scottish Institute for Enterprise|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> <ref name="EEI">{{cite web|url=http://www.europeanentrepreneursatstanford.com/speaker_bios/bios_Spr09.php|title=European Entrepreneurship and Innovation Thought Leaders - ME421 - Stanford University|date=May 2009|access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref>
</references>
==External links== *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071027060055/http://www.pelamiswave.com/ Pelamis Wave Power Ltd]}} website *[http://www.quoceant.com Quoceant Ltd] website
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yemm, Richard}} Category:21st-century Scottish inventors Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh College of Science and Engineering Category:Scottish mechanical engineers Category:Scottish company founders Category:Living people Category:People associated with renewable energy Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:20th-century Scottish inventors Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering