Finnish company AW Energy is preparing to deploy its undersea wave generator on a large scale after 31 years of development and testing.
The 350 kW Waveroller prototype is installed off the coast of Portugal. Photo: AW Energy
Wave power is one of the least-exploited clean energy options with huge potential. Finnish company AW Energy is preparing to deploy a 1 MW Waveroller wave power generator on the seabed on a large scale, Interesting Engineering reported on February 4.
The idea behind the Waveroller was born in 1993 when a diver noticed a large hatch in a shipwreck moving back and forth with great energy as waves crashed through it, and wondered if the same effect could be harnessed to drive a hydraulic piston and generate electricity. A proof-of-concept version was tested in 1999, and in 2005, small-scale test farms were installed in Scotland and Ecuador. In 2016, the design was manufactured, assembled, tested and licensed around Europe. Finally, the first commercial version of the WaveRoller, with a capacity of 350 kW, was connected to the grid in 2019, 800 meters off the coast of Portugal in Peniche.
Two years later, the machine was pulled up for inspection. Part of the problem was the harsh ocean environment, with salt water corroding the machinery and harboring barnacles. “We are pleased to confirm that the machine and its external components are in excellent condition,” AW Energy said.
Since 2020, AW Energy has been working on a project funded by the European Union to adapt the WaveRoller and its components for mass production, as well as deploying them in clusters of 10 to 24 units. These clusters, called WaveFarms, are located at a depth of 8 to 12 meters and no more than 2 kilometers from shore.
Each WaveRoller has a maximum capacity of 1 MW. It is expected that one machine will produce 624 - 813 MWh of electricity per year. In terms of levelized cost of electricity, WaveRoller is the most cost-competitive among the five technologies studied, with an LCoE of $100 - $150/MWh, close to offshore wind with $82 - $255/MWh in 2022.
Matthew Pech, chief financial officer of AW-Energy, said WaveRoller could deliver electricity closer to the base station than other renewables, helping Europe continue to lead the way in advanced renewable technology.
An Khang (According to New Atlas )
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