Marine Power Systems (MPS), the United Kingdom, has revealed a quarter-scale prototype of its wave energy generating device, ‘WaveSub’, which has been developed with the aim of addressing major challenges regarding the generation of energy at sea. The device is set to be towed to the FaBTest marine test site in Cornwall, England, to demonstrate its power-generation capacity in a broad range of sea environments.
The test is also expected to determine the device’s installation speed and price, as well as maintenance costs and survivability during the harshest weather conditions. WaveSub has been developed over a 9-year period via an investment of more than £5m from a combination of private investment and competitive grants. The device was manufactured and assembled at MPS’ site in Wales, and is designed to operate by capturing wave energy approximately 10km from the shore.
It leverages the continual orbital motion of waves to drive an improved power-take-off (PTO) system and can transfer its resulting output to land using an undersea cable. The full-scale, 100m-long WaveSub system will feature a power rating of 5MW and will be able to power roughly 5,000 homes, which is comparable to the energy produced by a very large offshore wind turbine. The device is equipped with depth-adjustable capability to ‘hide’ from storms.
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Wave energy generator prototype
VATIS UPDATE Part
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