UniWave 200 converts wave energy into electricity. The first module was tested in the rough seas off Tasmania. It generated far more electricity than expected.
The waves bring energy to every beach. According to the U.S. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the annual energy potential of the waves off the US coast is 2.64 trillion kilowatt hours, which is about 66 percent of the country’s annual electricity generation. And unlike wind energy and solar power, this energy is available all year round. Wave Smell Energy installed the UniWave 200 generator off Australia a year ago, and it has now been producing electricity reliably for twelve months. Now a five times larger successor is to be built.
UniWave: Only one running direction
The principle of UniWave is simple, the rocking of the wave causes water to rise and fall in a tube. This compresses air, which in turn drives a turbine. The whole thing works like a blowpipe into which the waves blow. In contrast to earlier shaft generators, the blades of the turbine therefore only run in one direction. With a bi-directional turbine, much of the energy is lost due to the turbine reversing direction, according to Wave Smell Energy. The construction is constructed in such a way that only the robust concrete part is in the water. The moving parts are all mounted above sea level.
Until now, the main problem with tapping into wave or tidal power has been the destructive power of the sea. Systems such as UniWave 200 could easily be integrated into dikes and fortifications. However, they can be set up in front of a beach. In addition, these modules can be used for coastal protection, the electricity is generated by the power of the waves. The power diverted from the turbines is lacking in the waves when they hit the beach or the dike. The primary goal is the power supply, but it is also easily possible to use such an installation for a green hydrogen factory.
Power generation plus coastal protection
The platform itself is buoyant and can be towed to any location by a tugboat. The modules could therefore be built in series in a factory, the installation effort at the destination is extremely low. The small test facility was installed in the rough seas off King Island between Australia and Tasmania to test its resilience. CEO Paul Geason says: “A key experience was testing in Tasmanian ocean conditions. (..) Our team is thrilled to have achieved an average wave power to electricity conversion rate of 45 to 50 percent over a wide range of wave conditions. This is a huge improvement over previous devices and shows that the moment has come to use wave power alongside wind, solar and energy storage as part of a modern energy mix.” For comparison: Modern solar panels achieve a conversion rate of just under 25 percent. Geason states that wave energy could generate electricity just as cheaply as wind and solar power. In addition, there is the advantage of greater uniformity in electricity production.
Although the device was designed as a test vehicle and not as a commercial power generator, it delivered one megawatt hour a day. The small demonstrator could supply around 80 households with electricity, the upcoming model already 400. Individual modules can be put together to form a farm. “The units can be scaled,” says Geason. “The exact size will depend on the characteristics of the wave climate at a given location. The optimal configuration will be site dependent. Our efforts and resources are focused on further deployment and commercialization of our technology.”
There is said to be interest in the project from all over the world – from Europe and the United States, from the Caribbean, South Africa and South America. “People live on the shores and watch the oceans. They watch the tides and the waves. It’s the only remaining untapped resource that can play such an important role.”