LAMWEC project to test Laminaria WEC survivability

Flemish wave energy developer Laminaria has joined forces with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Innosea, Ghent University, and TTI Testing to support the development of its wave energy converter (WEC).

The main focus of the project is to prove the survivability of the Laminaria WEC, which incorporates an innovative storm protection system, at pre-commercial scale in extreme storm conditions, according to EMEC.

The LAMWEC consortium will address specific technology challenges, including the development of a mooring and pulley system to support the innovative storm protection system, power take-off (PTO), frame and new anchor design.

Steven Nauwelaerts, Laminaria’s CEO, said: “We are keen to come and test our technology at full scale at the challenging EMEC site. We are confident that our technology can survive any storm with conservation of nominal production. Together with our partners the aim of the LAMWEC project is to develop a device that is reliable and predictable in O&M.”

Jeroen De Maeyer, Business Development Manager at Ghent University, added: “A key benefit of this technology is its high capacity factor thanks to its survival strategy. This improves LCOE and expands the range of operation at rated power.”

The project, funded under the OCEANERA-NET First Joint Call 2014, seeks to develop and test a 100 kW Laminaria WEC, progressing from TRL stage 5 – technology validated in relevant environment, to 7 – system prototype demonstration in operational environment.

The LAMWEC project will culminate in the testing and performance assessment of Laminaria’s wave converter at EMEC’s grid-connected wave test site at Billia Croo off Orkney in 2017, EMEC’s press release reads.