AW-Energy connected a 350-kW Waveroller to the power grid off a Portuguese coast. (Image Credit: AW-Energy)
Although available at all times, wave energy has yet to become more popular in the renewable energy sector --- it’s just taking longer than expected. Now, that’s about to change with Finland’s AW-Energy set to deploy its Waveroller. This tech’s purpose is to sit on the ocean floor and generate 1 MW of electricity.
The idea behind Waveroller started in 1993. At the time, a diver found inspiration from waves moving a shipwreck’s hatchback and forth. In turn, they thought about a hydraulic piston driven by waves to harness power for energy production. Proof-of-concept testing occurred in 1999, and Scotland and Ecuador saw small-scale test farms deployed. Then, in 2019, a 350-kW Waveroller unit hooked up to the power grid off Peniche’s Portuguese coast. After two years, the unit underwent an inspection to see if the underwater conditions affected it. AW-Energy discovered barnacles, salt, and corrosion didn’t damage the Waveroller.
AW-Energy has an EU-funded project that aims to make the Waveroller adaptable for manufacturing and installation in arrays known as WaveFarms. Each WaveFarm has 10 to 24 Waverollers set on the ocean floor at a depth of 8 to 12 meters and two km or less away from the shore. WaveFarm has the potential to boost Europe’s economy by adding €275 million and generating 500 jobs within the next ten years.
A Waveroller until sits on the ocean floor and generates 1 MW of power. (Image Credit: AW-Energy)
A single unit generates up to 1 MW of power, and according to a 2023 study, it could produce 624-813 MWh per year. Even better, the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) is at $100-150/MWh. In comparison, offshore wind reached $82-255/MWh in 2022. A Waveroller provides energy near the baseload power versus other renewable solutions, which puts Europe at the front line of renewable tech. The company also believes it can achieve a worldwide project pipeline of 150MW for the WaveFarm.
That pipeline is a bit bare, however. AW-Energy recently signed an MoU with a Namibia-based clean energy company with ambitions to install a WaveFarm on the Swakopmund coast. However, this MoU isn’t worth as much as a contract. And there aren’t many details available surrounding the MoU.
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