Waves4Power, a Swedish wave energy developer, has faced a setback when a damage on its WaveEL wave energy device was discovered during a routine inspection.
The damage on the acceleration tube under the buoy was discovered during a prescheduled routine ROV inspection of the device.
The device has since been towed to a local shipyard for service and repair, before being re-launched on the Runde test site, off Norway, and connected to the local Norwegian power grid as planned, according to Waves4Power.
The wave power plant will operate at reduced power during the time it takes to prepare the system for full scale power and energy production, planned for late autumn 2016, Waves4Power informed.
“Apart from the damage on the acceleration tube, all system tests and functionality tests have shown positive results. We estimate that this service and repair job will delay the grid connection of the Waves4Power system with a couple of weeks,” Waves4Power said.
WaveEL device has been deployed off the Norwegian west coast for seven months.
It is comprised of an 8 meter long acceleration tube, open at both ends, which goes right through the buoy and is sticking down 30-35 meters below it.
The device produces electricity using hydraulic pump which is connected to an accumulator that feeds a hydraulic motor with a generator, which in turn converts the hydraulic pressure to electric power.