A Scottish company, AWS Ocean Energy Ltd., that had slipped under my radar, has secured £2.128 million (US$4.16 million) in funding from the Scottish Executive. The funds will be used to develop and commercialize AWS’ Archimedes Wave Swing, claimed to be one of the few proven technologies worldwide for generating clean, renewable electricity from the ocean’s waves.
The Archimedes Wave Swing, shown left (artist apparently took some liberty by showing it above the water surface), is submerged at least six meters below the sea surface which, as well as removing visual impact and hazards to shipping, avoids high storm impacts. Compared to most other wave energy devices, the Wave Swing also takes up a proportionately smaller area of the sea, in relation to power generated. Following a successful pilot project in Portugal, the £2.128 million will be used to develop a pre-commercial model of the device at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Eday, Orkney.
Around 25 meters high and 12 meters in diameter, the commercial units will be rated at 1 Megawatt generating around 3,000 Megawatt hours of electricity in a typical year.
AWS believes that this work will lead directly to the construction of the first mini wave farm of Archimedes units in Scottish waters, by the third quarter of 2010, expanding within 12 months to 20 units.
The wave swing is described as follows on their web site:
The AWS wave energy converter consists of a large air-filled cylinder which is submerged beneath the waves. As a wave crest approaches, the water pressure on the top of the cylinder increases and the upper part or 'floater' compresses the air within the cylinder to balance the pressures. The reverse happens as the wave trough passes and the cylinder expands. The relative movement between the floater and the fixed lower part or 'basement' is converted directly to electricity by means of an innovative linear generator. First-generation machines will be rated at over 1MW and have a load factor in excess of 35%.
The device is intrinsically simple with only one main moving part - the floater. Ancillary systems are limited to ballast water pumps, an integral damper to absorb excessive power and modules for air supply control and lubrication. All will use existing sub-sea technology and be capable of maintenance during rough weather using ROVs.
The complete system has been tested at full-scale via a pilot plant that is installed off the coast of Portugal. Engineering for the pre-commercial demonstrator is now ongoing.
Source: Alternative Energy News
There are now several companies in the ocean power category that are developing wave power technologies and have advanced pilot or demonstration plant projects. It looks like the first commercial plants will be operating by 2010 or sooner. The AWS design looks like one of the simplest and should have a good chance at becoming a winner. Ocean power stands a chance of having less trouble getting permitting because they are much less intrusive than wind power, which should enable them to be located in some areas where strong opposition to wind power has been found. Wave power depends on wind generating waves, so there potential locations are similar to those for wind power, there are some areas that have strong currents that are also suitable for ocean power, but not this particular version. I would think that ocean power, when developed, should have similar or slightly lower cost than wind power, but that is pure speculation at this time.
As an aside, I get excited every time I here about some activity at the European Marine Energy Center at Eday, Orkney, because my Fraser ancestors emigrated from Eday to the US in about 1840. I visited Eday about six years ago and found the people there extremely cordial and total strangers gave me a day long tour of the little, 8 mile long by 2.5 mile wide island, population about 120.
Im not sure that picture is 'above' water. see the 'fish' swimming above the machines?
I get very excited about ocean power. Ocean power has a HUGE amount of untapped energy. This idea seems like a winner to me. Out of sight, out of mind.
Posted by: brian hans | February 22, 2007 at 08:28 PM
Is that $4,000,000,000 then? It seems like very large number.
Posted by: Mit Sprinter | February 22, 2007 at 11:59 PM
that's actually should be 2.128 million pounds or $4,150,000 US dollars
Posted by: Dan Thorne | February 23, 2007 at 12:30 AM
Sorry about the mixup on the amounts, I corrected them.
I thought the fish was a bird.
Posted by: Jim from The Energy Blog | February 23, 2007 at 12:39 AM
The underwater feature is excellent, no NIMBYism.
I'm wondering if the Norwegian floating wind design could be fitted with one of these around it's base? I think so.
By combining wind and wave more power much more energy could be produced and it would be steadier. The wind can drop off, but waves keep on going.
Posted by: amazingdrx | February 23, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Very very kewl stuff here. I can remember a small comment I posted a lil while back about utilizing the flow of currents. These generators would be perfect for our area and areas around the Chesapeake Bay. Some areas that would benefit would be the Hampton Roads Area (my area =), possibly the Northern Viginia area, Washington DC, and some parts of North Carolina. Not to forget these generators will be powering military facilities around the mid-Atlantic region which has the highest concentrations of military bases in the country which would include the Norfolk Naval Base, largest naval facility in the world.
Posted by: Jimmi | February 23, 2007 at 01:12 PM
Yep jimmi all the way down all the major river systems too. But you need a device that doesn't interfere with navigation or wildlife and fish.
Rotors are too intrusive, a better technology is available I think.
Posted by: amazingdrx | February 23, 2007 at 01:20 PM
Well, going back to my earlier comment, stick these generators on existing bridges and tunnels. Remember me saying something about the Chesepeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. That's about a 20 mile long structure. How many generators can you stick to the support-strucures? With an average of about 70-100 pile-ons per mile (not to forget the CBBT is being expanded to twice it's car volume capacity), I hate to do math but that's alot of generators... that's alot of energy. I would expect these generators would produce more than the Hoover Dam System because they will be generating power 24/7/365!!! Hoover Dam, on an average year, will produce about 4,000,000,000 kwh. I'm really curious to see projections on these wave generators in our area.
Posted by: Jimmi | February 23, 2007 at 01:41 PM
Hmmmm... thining about it more... wouldn't it be possible to stick these things on ANY water bridge in the country, being it has the correct volume flow of water. Is my mind just racing and reaching or can this be something very disruptive??? Well heck... every bridge in the world. Somebody prove me wrong and bring me back to Earth please!!!
Posted by: Jimmi | February 23, 2007 at 03:01 PM
NVM... I'm back on Earth. These horizontal generators will only work with waves. Which would actually still be good for our area and other coastal regions.
Would be nice to utilize hydro-electric more. I still feel we need to rethink hydro. There's alot of untapped energy in those river systems. It's even in Bush's initiative to try to expand on current hydro-electric plants. Which brings me back to my idea of adding penstocks to the Hoover and other dam systems.
Posted by: Jimmi | February 23, 2007 at 03:21 PM
Jimmi, up here in Canada, run of river (penstock) hydro is actually encouraged by the government, by the aboriginals, etc. (and except for kayakers and left wing Nimbyists). However I understand run of river is dead in the US. What gives? Why is it so environmentally taboo to construct a ROR in places like Idaho and Colorado?
Posted by: Beek | February 24, 2007 at 03:41 AM
Your guess is as good as mine.
But if I had to guess... environmentalists. Sometimes all you have to do to kill a project is to delay it a few years for a study to be done on the local habitat. You know the saying... time is money!!! And if there is an endangered species in the area... all bets are off.
The idea of adding additional penstocks to exsisting dam structures should bypass all the "red-tape". Hmmmm... doesn't Cali use up like 35% of the Hoover Dam's electricity output. If people were smart... they would invest into making them penstocks giving Cali the additional power to prevent them blackouts during the hot summers. Lord knows what will happen once all these EVs start plugging into the grid in a few years(Telsa and Phoenix are based in Cali). Expanding the Hoover Dam system is almost an imperitive!!!
Posted by: Jimmi | February 24, 2007 at 05:26 AM
Nope, not gonna happen. Either find an eco-friendly technology or forget more hydro from rivers.
Even more NIMBYism that wind or nukes.
I got the technology.
Posted by: amazingdrx | February 24, 2007 at 11:54 AM
I sure like these AWS devices for Lake superior, They are underwater so no nIMBYism. Have to wait for actual performance figures, but 3 million kwh per unit is awesome!
Posted by: amazingdrx | February 24, 2007 at 12:01 PM
You gotta elaborate a lil more DocX, well as far as adding additional generators to an existing dam. How can somebody not see the net gain with so little additional environmental impact???
Let's say you add 2 penstocks to the Hoover Dam. Are you flooding another valley??? Are you causing an impact on the local environment (well that hasn't already existed)??? Is the local wild life in more danger??? NIMBYISM is a non factor regarding the Hoover. If you say NO to the 3 questions... what's the hold up??? I know I know... politics!!! So sad... once again DocX... you made me feel like immigrating to Canada.
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By combining wind and wave more power much more energy could be produced and it would be steadier. The wind can drop off, but waves keep on going.
Posted by: r4 card | October 13, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Wave farm sounds like a great idea, but I am wondering how it is effecting the ocean's habitat?
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