A prototype wave energy convertor has been officially launched in Albany, Western Australia, and will be moored from mid September 2024 for six months in the King George Sound, a body of ocean water adjacent to Albany, 430 kilometres south of Perth.
The Albany M4 Wave Energy Demonstration Project’s surface-riding wave energy converter is an attenuator type, consisting of multiple floats connected by beams above the water using three rows of floats, in a 1-2-1 float array, with float diameter increasing from front to rear. The prototype has been built by local Albany manufacturers.
Scaled at 24-metres by 9.5-metres, the converter will absorb 1 to 10 kW with sensors feeding real-time, in situ data on device performance including energy production and motions to on-board systems.
Generating electricity through the flexing motion of a hinge which allows relative rotation between the front and rear beams, the demonstrator produces power from the angular rotation under wave action. A single point mooring and the relative sizing of the floats allow the structure to naturally weathervane.
Electricity from wave action will be supplemented by two small wind turbines and a solar array and used for data collection and transmission.
Image: Marine Energy Research Australia
Developed through a collaboration between the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre by UWA Marine Energy Research Australia (MERA) the Moored MultiMode Multibody (M4) wave prototype has also been supported by a $1.55 million (USD 1 million) grant from the state government.
The mooring site is regarded by researchers as a nursery for wave energy technology testing and see potential for wave energy to decarbonise nearby end user operations such as the Albany Shellfish Hatchery and Albany’s Historic Whaling Station on the Torndirrup Peninsula.
A grid connection point exists at the Albany Windfarm at Moodrenup/Sandpatch for a future full-size wave energy converter.
UWA Oceans Institute and MERA Director Professor Christophe Gaudin said the project was a testament to Albany’s potential as a global leader in clean ocean energy.
“The M4 device is designed to harness the power of waves, and by making our data publicly accessible, we aim to drive forward innovation in renewable energy both locally and globally,” Gaudin said.
MERA Centre Manager Dr Wiebke Ebeling said the M4 Wave Energy Project would validate advanced modelling predictions and demonstrate the feasibility of wave energy as a stable, renewable baseload power source.
“It’s an exciting step forward in our journey to establish Albany as a hub for renewable energy innovation and economic growth,” Ebeling said.
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