A consortium led by Finland’s AW-Energy, developer of a patented wave energy technology known as WaveRoller, will receive 3 million euros (US$4.4 million) from the European Union to demonstrate its technology off the coast of Portugal.
A 300-KW WaveRoller unit will be placed off the coast near Peniche and tested for one year.
The WaveRoller is an oscillating plate bolted to the sea floor. The fiberglass/steel plate moves back and forth as the waves roll in. The hydraulic pressure created by the back-and-forth motion is used to drive a turbine to generate power.
The consortium is comprised of companies from Finland, Portugal, Germany and Belgium. What’s more, Bosch-Rexroth, ABB, Eneolica, and Wave Energy Center are participating in the demonstration project, AW-Energy said.
“The experience of our dream team consortium is a significant asset to the project,” said John Liljelund, chief executive officer of AW-Energy. “AW-Energy has been working hard the last three years with two sea-installed prototypes, tank testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. Now we have the site, grid connection permission, installation license and the technology ready for the demonstration phase.”
– from renewableenergyworld.com