A novel concept for supplying electricity to microgrid applications from ocean wave harvesting

Purpose and goal:

The project aimed to validate a new concept for a wave power plant (WEC) suitable for remote and stand-alone applications. The goal was to carry out a Proof-of-Concept at laboratory scale in a hydrodynamic tank. The project succeeded in developing, building and testing a laboratory model, thus achieving its objective of taking the concept from TRL 2 to TRL 3.

Expected results and effects:

Tests showed that the new wave energy power plant has potential to deliver cheap electricity with a simple and material-efficient design, encouraging further development. Expected effects include an increased industrial potential for renewable energy supply in remote and marine environments, which could lead to further investments and development towards a market introduction before 2030.

Approach and implementation:

The project followed a structured development plan with clearly defined tasks and objectives. The development of the laboratory model was demanding, with numerous challenges to properly represent the concept at reduced scale. Despite this, the quality of the model and the test results were sufficient, and they confirmed the technical feasibility of the concept.

The project´s costs stayed below budget because both the model and the laboratory tests turned out to be somewhat cheaper than estimated.