Advanced Wave Power (AWP) has recently finalised production and successful testing of a full-scale, 30 metre wave power generator at its testing site in Moreton Bay, Queensland.

Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson launched the Nautilis prototype, a 3 kilowatt (kW) system that uses the small waves in Moreton Bay to generate up to 100 kW of electricity every hour.

Mr Robertson said it was the future potential of this technology that was most exciting.

“For a number of years now, the project team for AWP has been building and testing laboratory prototypes at the University of Queensland’s wave labs, now it is time to take the next step.”

How the FWP generator works

AWP says that the Floating Wave Power (FWP) technology behind the AWP generator overcomes the historical drawbacks of wave power generator designs, representing a substantial improvement on existing oscillating water column (OWC) based electricity generator designs.

The generator comprises a series of
interlinked OWC units in a single mooring that is connected to a single air turbine.

Each OWC unit contains a high-pressure outflow valve and a low-pressure inflow valve that open and close independently depending on the position of that unit within the wave cycle.

AWP Director Ivan Voropaev says that the result is the generation of constant uni-directional air flow, which eliminates the need for expensive and complex air turbine systems such as those used in competitor designs. The uni-directional air flow also greatly improves the overall efficiency of the system. Key advantages of the FWP design include:

  • Relatively low capital cost due to the use of common materials used in the maritime sector
  • High wave-to-wire energy conversion efficiency of an estimated 20 to 25 per cent
  • Simple, robust and low maintenance design for high survivability offshore
  • Scalable electricity generation capacity through the linking of FWP units in an array
  • Enclosed design and low profile offshore deployment reducing the negative aesthetic and noise pollution issues.

Wave power at work

Mr Voropaev expects the wave power generator platforms to produce power at commercially viable quantities in the near future.

He says the higher cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) of alternative renewable energy compared to conventional sources has previously led to the failure of green power to have significant market share. However, with 60per cent of the world’s population within 100 kilometres of the coast line, he believes wave power is the perfect clean energy solution.

Coal producers may want to hold their breath, as AWP’s research shows, power can be generated for as low as 4 cents per kWh in New Zealand waters and 5 cents per kWh in Australia’s Bass Straight. Comparably, he says coal-fired power stations produce at 3–4 cents per KWh. With a price on carbon, the wave resource could become one of the cheapest in the world.

Mr Voropaev says that major energy corporations will be able to utilise the technology, initially to assist with off-grid power supplies in regional areas and Pacific Islands.

“Power in regional areas and the Pacific Islands generated using diesel is currently being supplied at a cost of $1 per kWh, while these suppliers currently only recover 12 cents per kWh. New wave power technology could save millions of dollars of lost revenue while also protecting the environment by no longer burning non-renewable diesel,” he says.

The FWP developers envisage future wave generators doubling as stable platforms for developments of self sufficient, offshore constructions such as marinas, resorts, and other accommodation, and power supplies for offshore oil rigs.

Mr Voropaev says that proven and efficient wave power generation will be the next powerhouse of energy.

“A wave power generator that floats harmlessly in the ocean, spanning hundreds of meters of unused space and causing little to no effect on the surrounding marine ecosystem, is the solution that we have all been waiting for,” he says.

He adds “The environment and community need effective clean solutions that can be incorporated into our power grid to ease the burden on the environment while still easing the burden on our pockets,” he adds.

AWP will commence commercial development within the 2009–10 financial year and hopes investors and power corporations will rally to surf the eco wave into the future.