Brand new wave energy plant emerges in Far East

South Korea has completed the construction of a wave energy demonstration plant, equipped with energy storage system, on one of the islands of the Chuja archipelago in the Jeju Strait.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of South Korea informed on 15 November that the 30kW wave energy demonstration plant has been built on one of the islands located in the strait between the Korean Peninsula (South Jeolla Province) and Jeju Island (Jeju Province).

The plant has been built on a breakwater to reduce the cost of the structure, and to increase its ability to withstand strong waves, the ministry said.

Featuring oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy technology, the plant has been limited to the capacity of 30kW in accordance with the characteristics of the island, which has small population and low electricity demand.

However, the plant’s capacity can be further expanded to fit the needs of a specific area, according to the South Korean government.

The power plant has also incorporated advanced control systems which allow it to extract energy even from small waves. The power produced is then stored in energy storage system so that it can be stably supplied to the local power grid.

When the demonstration plant completes the pilot operation around 2027, South Korea expects that its domestic wave power generation technology will reach commercial levels, and be ready for installation in fishing ports, and breakwaters in other ports across the country.

Currently, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is examining a plan which includes around 25 of such sites across South Korea.

Koo Do-hyung, the ministry’s head of maritime development, said: “In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it is necessary to actively invest in the marine energy sector.

“The completion of this breakwater-linked wave power demonstration plant heralds the beginning of an era in which electricity is generated using waves. We will do our best to further advance the technology”.

The wave energy technology applicable in combination with breakwaters, used for the construction of this power plant, has been developed by the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO).

The institute has late in October 2021 signed technology transfer contracts with Hydrowave Power and G-Philos, a local developer of technology for production of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

According to KRISO, this was done to expand private enterprise participation in ocean technology development, and to set up foundations for the distribution of clean ocean energy.

These transfer contracts cover crucial elements of power and control systems for wave energy converters featured in the plant, such as energy converter design with performance evaluations design of control systems in regards to the output, and connections to electrical systems.

With the technology transfer complete, Hydrowave Power and G-Philos plan to develop wave energy-related projects in South Korea and around the world to further accelerate the commercial use of wave energy.

Beforehand, KRISO will work to further improve the technology’s performance by actually operating the new demonstration plant, in collaboration with G-Philos and Hydrowave Power.

Booki Kim, president of KRISO, said: “There have been many difficulties in supplying electricity to island regions due to cost restrictions and installation challenges in establishing power grid connections to the mainland. With this breakwater-connected wave energy technology transfer, we hope to accelerate the commercialization of ocean energy”.