The Italian start-up company 40South Energy Italia is currently conducting upgrades on the H24 wave energy device ahead of its redeployment at Marina di Pisa, off Italy.
The upgrade works include the installation of a ‘version 2’ of the powertrain, and the moving member of the H24 device, according to 40South Energy Italia.
The company’s H-type wave and tidal energy converters, always completely submerged, consist of a guiding part located on the sea floor, or on a support structure, and of a moving part above it, which moves according to waves or tides.
Late in January 2018, the moving part of the device was removed and is currently undergoing thorough inspection at 40South Energy Italia’s facilities.
The work is being conducted by Elements Works under contract from 40South Energy Italia, and is expected to last for ‘at least’ another couple of months, Michele Grassi, CEO and CTO of 40South Energy and Elements Works, confirmed.
Grassi said: “This is an intermediate step towards the H24-50v2 which we plan to deploy within the year.”
The H24 can behave as both tidal and wave energy generating unit, but for Marina di Pisa project it will harness the energy of the waves to produce electricity, the company said earlier.
To remind, the 50kW H24 device was installed at the Marina di Pisa wave energy park off Tuscany in November 2015, and after a month of commissioning was put into operation.
Electricity from wave energy was produced but was not fed into the Italian grid as it was dissipated as heat locally.
In November 2016, the first H24-50 was sold to Enel Green Power, and a month later – Enel Green Power invested €2.25 million in 40South Energy Italia, alongside Invitalia Ventures.