The trial operation of Australian Wave Swell Energy’s alternative marine energy production platform has been successfully completed.
The innovative construction called the UniWave 200 is an open-down concrete cavity, where water rises and falls after sea waves rise – and the changing air pressure in the cavity is equalized by turbines at the top of the cavity. More simple: a wind power plant that produces the energy of air movement caused by waves.
According to Wave Swell Energy, the key to the success of their method is that they generate electricity in only one direction. There are more effective solutions, but the Australian company’s solution is simpler, cheaper and more reliable. The moving parts are not affected by salt water, because they are all above sea level, and therefore completely harmless to marine life.
The Uniwave is built on a floating platform, which can be towed to a specific stretch of coast at will, but there is no need to sail, as the system can be fixedly installed in a seawall or breakwater.
The trial run of the 200-kilowatt power plant was conducted in Bass Strait, which separates Australia and Tasmania, with known rough waves, feeding the grid continuously around the clock during its 12-month operation. The platform exceeded the expectations of the builders and will continue to operate until the end of the year, while preparations for its mass production are underway. As they said, after the plant produced 40 kilowatts in medium wave conditions, it only took 24 hours to design a 1 megawatt system on a large scale.
Designed for commercial use Power plantDesigned for where to use, negotiations are currently underway with companies using the technology.
