Australian wave energy company starts exporting clean power to island grid

Australian company Wave Swell Energy has started exporting clean power from its UniWave200 wave energy device to electrical grid on King Island, offshore Tasmania.

The 200kW unit, installed at Grassy Harbour on King Island early in January 2021, has since been commissioned, exporting the first power into the island’s grid on 18 June, according to Wave Swell Energy (WSE).

WSE has worked with Hydro Tasmania, the island’s energy and network provider, to connect the unit to the local grid. Hydro Tasmania will separately meter the energy produced by the unit, thereby providing independent evidence of the efficacy of the project, WSE said.

With the commissioning stage now complete, the Australian Maritime College (AMC) will also be collecting and analysing data to quantify the unit’s performance and ultimately showcase its potential to the world.

“This major achievement is the culmination of work and innovation that began in 2016 and has involved many organisations across Australia.

“As the world begins its transition to 100% renewables, Wave Swell is positioned to supply consistent and predictable low-cost energy to power grids around the world, plying its part in the mix of renewable energy solutions, to satisfy the global demand for dependable and sustainable energy.

“At the same time, Wave Swell’s technology will provide both a climate change mitigation measure – by reducing carbon emissions – as well as a climate change adaption measure to protect the coastlines from erosion”, WSE said in a video update.

The company’s 200kW unit is sitting on the seabed in its planned location, approximately 100 metres from shore, in 5.75 metres of water depth.

WSE’s technology is based on the well-established concept of the oscillating water column (OWC). The UniWave200 device is partially submerged as it sits on the seabed, with an opening on one side to allow the movement of the waves in and out of the chamber.

The design of the UniWave200 has been modified from a bi-directional turbine which rotates in two directions, to a unidirectional turbine which rotates in one direction only, which is expected to result in a simpler and more robust design with high energy conversion efficiency and lower costs.

There are no moving parts below the water which means maintenance is only ever required to be performed on the easy-to-access areas of the device.

The King Island project is supported by the Australian government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), and will seek to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of the UniWave200 by validating its efficiency, survivability, and accessibility.

King Island was chosen as a project site for two primary reasons – the wave climate and Hydro Tasmania.

The wave climate in the region is amongst the best in the world, according to WSE. Backed with Hydro Tasmania’s capabilities to integrate renewables into island grids, the project is set to benefit from a high level of relevant expertise.

This will prove significant in demonstrating the technology’s value to remote island grids, WSE expects.

Grassy, on the east coast of King Island, was chosen as the specific project site for additional reasons. As the main commercial harbour for the island, the general site already has the necessary electrical and other infrastructure required by the WSE project.

And, being on the east coast of the island, the wave conditions that will be encountered are expected to cover the full range, from small to large, needed to validate the AMC model tests.

The west coast, with much larger waves on average, would likely have struggled to provide the same range of conditions in a timely manner, WSE noted.

Importantly, the King Island project is not aimed at maximising the power production of the unit, according to WSE.

Doing so would require a more energetic wave location, such as the west coast of the King Island. Future projects, incorporating the improvements from Project Bluefire, will be located in more energetic wave regimes to maximise energy production.

Project Bluefire will benefit from using real data generated from the grid connection of UniWave200 at King, which are expected to provide WSE with a baseline and the tools and inputs from which to further scale up the technology as part of the its planned technology enhancement program.