Wave energy prototype moves closer to offshore deployment at BiMEP

Spain-based multi-national architecture and engineering consultancy IDOM is progressing toward the offshore deployment of its wave energy prototype next summer at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP), as part of Phase 3 of the EuropeWave project.

The project unveiled reaching several milestones recently, including the completion of key inspections for the MARMOK-A-5 prototype, finalization of the mooring system and umbilical cable routing design, and progress on the power take-off (PTO) system design. Wind tunnel testing of the PTO at Mondragon University has also been completed, according to EuropeWave.

To optimize performance under varying sea conditions, machine learning techniques have been applied to refine control strategies by identifying sea states, EuropeWave noted. Laboratory tests for the PTO mechanism and electric generator are planned as the next development phase.

MARMOK-A-5 operates as a point absorber based on the working principle of the oscillating water column (OWC). 

“The basic device concept can be described as a spar element holding a cylindrical water column inside. During operation, due to waves excitation, a relative movement between inner water column and buoy is produced,” EuropeWave explained.

“It makes water column act like a piston that comprises and expands the air chamber which is confined in the upper side of the buoy, generating a reciprocating air flow which is then converted into electric power using a power take off system composed by an air turbine. The absorbed power is transmitted to shore through a subsea cable.”

The technology has proven its feasibility with a low-power grid-connected prototype. Within the EuropeWave project, IDOM said that it is leveraging lessons learned from earlier testing campaigns to refine its design, aiming to boost power performance while maintaining system robustness, reliability, and ease of maintenance.

EuropeWave is a consortium involving Energiaren Euskal Erakundea / Ente Vasco de la Energía, Wave Energy Scotland, and Ocean Energy Europe.

MARMOK-A-5 first entered offshore trials in 2016, deployed at the BiMEP testing site off the north coast of Spain. In 2018, a refitted version of the device underwent a second round of open-sea trials in the Bay of Biscay under the EU-funded OPERA wave energy project.

More recently, in 2022, IDOM concluded tank testing for the device. In 2023, EuropeWave selected three finalists – CETO Wave Energy Ireland, IDOM Consulting, and Mocean Energy – to fabricate, deploy, and demonstrate their prototype designs in the final phase of the collaborative wave energy project.