Scotland’s AWS Energy has reported results some 20% better than predicted for its Archimedes Waveswing, a prototype wave energy generator that’s been undergoing ocean-based testing.
Loz Blain reports in NEW ATLAS on November 6, 2022:
The Waveswing is a cylindrical metal buoy that’s tethered to a single point on the ocean floor. In operation, it stays beneath the surface and responds to water pressure changes. As a Wave passes overhead, the pressure increase pushes down on the top “floater” section of the device, sliding it downward relative to the lower “silo” section, with a rolling seal ensuring no water gets in.
Loz Blain | NEW ATLAS
This linear motion in this “telescoping can” compresses the air in the Waveswing device, creating an air spring to push the floater section back up as the wave rolls onward. As the floater moves up and down, it drives a hydraulic motor, which converts the linear motion into rotation, and a regular electrical generator draws power from both the upward and downward strokes.
“These figures underline our strong belief that Waveswing is the real deal. While we have always been confident about the performance potential of the Waveswing, it is wonderful to see that confidence endorsed by real data. We believe this performance compares very favourably with equivalent figures for any previous wave device tested on the same site. We are now actively seeking discussions with commercialisation partners, other end users and anyone who is genuinely interested in developing commercial wave power. This includes for example sponsored testing programmes, so that partners can get to know the Waveswing and its potential up close.”
Simon Grey, CEO of AWS Ocean Energy | Source
“The Waveswing features a single absorber design, with unique features which make it ideal for remote power applications such as powering subsea oilfield assets and oceanographic monitoring. However, for utility scale power, we are convinced the future lies in multi-absorber platforms which can achieve the scale necessary for wave power to make a significant contribution to renewable energy supplies. We expect to develop platforms hosting up to twenty 500 kW units with a potential capacity of 10 MW per platform.”
Simon Grey, CEO of AWS Ocean Energy | Source
