Pelamis Wave Energy Project
Pelamis Wave Energy Project
Find out more about the 2.25MW Pelamis Wave Energy Project in Portugal
wavePelamis Wave Ltd (formerly know as
Ocean Power Delivery Ltd) have developed a pioneering commercial
wave power generator which has been successfully installed three miles off the northern coast of
Portugal near the town of Povoa de Varzim. This is the first commercial scale
wave-power station in the world.
Built in the Camcal factory on the Isle of Lewis, the sea snake-like device is made up of a series of three semi-submerged cylinders linked by hinged joints. Each cylinder has a diameter of
3.5 metres and is made from 700 tonnes of
carbon steel.
The motion of each hinge is resisted by
hydraulic rams driving generators which produce
electricity. The power conversion units in each 140 metre long
Pelamis P-750s generates up to 750kW of electricity.
Three of these
wave-energy converters (snakes) have been installing giving a maximum power generation capacity of 2.25MW (enough for 1,500 homes), but if successful, a further
25 converters will be added for a capacity of
21MW (to power
15,000 homes). The Pelamis devices are connected to one another and then to an onshore
sunstation via an undersea cable. The first phase of this project has so far cost
€9 million.
Portugal are attempting to generate
60% of their electricity (and 30% of all
power) from renewables by 2020 * - and currently pay
€0.25 per kWh (unit) of electricity generated by renewable power. Unlike wind energy,
wave energy is very predictable and sustained which makes it an excellent choice.
*
Click here to read our related article Moura World's Largest PV Solar Plant (in Portugal) which will soon supply enough solar electricity to supply 30,000 homes with power.
Planned Pelamis Projects
Four more
Pelamis machines will be installed off the west coast of the Scottish
Orkney Islands at the end of 2008 in a ScottishPower
3MW project (with £4 million of funding from the Scottish govenenment).
Pelamis Efficiency and Future Developments
A device which extracted all of the energy from the waves on which it
swims would quickly be destroyed. Therefore, in order to survive many years, only a small portion of the available
wave energy can usually be converted into electricity.
Work is currently being undertaken at the
University of Edinburgh to find the means to increase the efficiency of the Pelamis without reducing its survivability. This has included research using
genetic algorithms - computer programs which model the process of
natural selection and
evolution - to develop a
Pelamis which
swims on the surface in a different way depending on the speed and size of the waves passing beneath it. By developing an
active control system for Pelamis, much higher outputs of electricity could be possible.
Article Last Modified: 11:18, 25th Sep 2008Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
Recommended Related Articles
People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:
Severn Barrage Tidal PowerFind out more about the potential for the world's largest tidal power station - The Severn Barrage
Article Last Modified: 13:16, 27th Jan 2009tidalIntroduction to Water WheelsFind out more about using the power of a waterwheel
Article Last Modified: 10:16, 12th Nov 2008hydroAnaconda Bulge Wave Power GeneratorFind out about the Anaconda wave-power machine
Article Last Modified: 12:18, 27th May 2009wave | newsAlderney Tidal and Wave PowerPlans proceeding for Alderney tidal power and wave power projects
Article Last Modified: 13:38, 11th Jan 2007tidal | waveMake a Wave Powered GeneratorFind out how to build your own mini wave power generator
Article Last Modified: 15:13, 19th Aug 2008waveWhitelee Wind ProjectGBP 300 million Whitelee Wind Farm. 140 Turbines generating 322MW of Power
Article Last Modified: 12:23, 27th May 2009windCETO Wave Energy and DesalinationAustalian plans for zero emission power and freshwater generation from the waves
Article Last Modified: 17:20, 23rd May 2007wave | newsEden Project Geothermal Power PlantRead about plans for the UK's first geothermal power plant, to be built in Cornwall at the Eden Project
Article Last Modified: 10:47, 2nd Jun 2009geothermal | newsLa Rance Tidal Power PlantFind out La Rance experimental tidal power plant in France
Article Last Modified: 11:21, 2nd Sep 2008tidal | waveDIY Solar Water Heating PrototypeFollow the construction of a successful DIY solar water heating prototype
Article Last Modified: 15:16, 19th Aug 2008solar | heating | water
|
|
|
