SWEL looks for partners to help commercialize wave energy device

Sea Wave Energy Limited (SWEL), an R&D company based in Cyprus and UK, is looking to form strategic alliances to assist it with the final tests on a pilot Waveline Magnet model, and drive forward the commercialization of its wave energy technology.

Having concluded exhaustive studies and tests on the Waveline Magnet (WLM) technology at Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN) test facility, with the support of Marine Energy Alliance (MEA) and industry leaders, SWEL is ready to bring its technology to the next level and display its tangible potential to solve the decades-old enigma of wave energy, according to the company.

“SWEL is incredibly grateful to MEA and partners for providing, assisting, and coordinating this complex process, paving the way for its passionate team to carry the technology forward,” the company said in a statement.

According to SWEL, it has been demonstrated that the WLM device can produce an abundance of mechanical power for the conversion processes of electricity, hydrogen and desalination, and is also applicable with fish farming and coastal erosion protection.

SWEL’s WLM device is comprised of an array of flexible assemblies linked by a spine power system.

The patented technology allows the wave to pass through the system, generating power as the wave rises and falls.

The wave energy converter is designed to embrace the surface of the sea, or the ‘waveline’ as it is often referred to by SWEL, allowing the device to become one moving mass with the wave itself.

“The standard characterisation of wave power routes back to Archimedes’ principle of buoyancy and displacement theory. This however is just one part of the process, the upwards force on a displaced body.

“As a result of the unique interaction of the WLM with the waveline, SWEL has uncovered a new eureka, bringing the Archimedes theory full circle by incorporating the opposite downward force and the neutral interaction.

“SWEL has branded its hypothesis as the ‘Neutral Displacement Theory (NDT)’, redefining the theory of wave energy and uncovering the remaining pieces of the puzzle to reveal the true mechanics of wave power, challenging the current standards and methods used for characterising and harnessing the power of the wave,” the company said.

SWEL said that one single WLM will be rated at over 100MW in energetic environments by applying the NDT principle.

WLM is also able to increase its power production as wavelengths increase, producing volumes of power on large scales, by more than 10 times the comparable standard methods used, according to SWEL.

The next steps towards commercialization require final tests on a pilot model, which in SWEL’s words, cost ‘a fraction of the typical development budgets required by other technologies’.

The tests are expected to verify SWELs NDT against the standard and effectively projecting the system loads and behavior, which will facilitate the design of the first commercial system, the company said.

Therefore, SWEL is now seeking strategic alliances and partnerships to place the WLM technology ‘on the forefront of renewable energy production’ and contribute to solving the current energy crisis.

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