Dutch company to test wave energy converter at ‘world’s largest’ wave simulation facility (Video)

The Hague-based Wave Energy Collective (Weco) is to test its wave energy converter (WEC) in the Delta Flume at Deltares.

According to Weco, the Delta Flume at Deltares is one of “the world’s largest” wave simulation facilities, measuring 300 meters in length, 7 to 9,5 meters in depth, and five meters in width, capable of producing waves up to 4,5 meters high. 

The facility is important for research in coastal engineering and renewable energy solutions, said Weco in a social media post. This allows the Dutch company to test scaled versions of the WEC and the validation of assumptions and models.

“Everybody who has been on the ocean has seen the power of the waves. At Weco, we are developing a wave energy converter, to generate electricity from the motion of these waves. So, instead of a vertical moving device, we have a horizontal moving device, which is able to generate electricity two times more efficiently – the very lightweight system,” said Cas van de Voort, Cofounder of Weco.

“In the future, we envision that our wave energy converters lay in between wind turbines in wind parks to make use of the unused space, and also use the infrastructure that has already been built there.”

This approach has several advantages: high efficiency, easier installation, using an anchor for mooring like ships, unlike traditional WECs that need a large concrete block to absorb vertical forces, and that the device can be built much lighter since it doesn’t require a large volume for buoyancy, said Weco.

“Right now, we are in the biggest energy transition of history, going from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and we are mostly dependent on solar and wind power, and by adding wave energy – one of the largest untapped resources today, we diversify and stabilize our power supply,” said Luc Hogervorst, Cofounder of Weco.