Eco Wave Power has reported the completion of a medium-scale version of its Wind Clapper and Power Wing wave energy generation system. The company has released a video showing the system in action and is currently undertaking testing and evaluation before work begins on the construction of the first commercial scale EWP wave power plant.
We detailed the first part of EWP's three-phase testing and evaluation project in January 2012, when we covered the installation of a small-scale proof of concept wave energy generation system in the pool at Ukraine's Institute for Hydromechanics in Kiev. The larger medium-scale system was constructed in the Black Sea during April, and has already undergone stress testing during a storm that saw waves rising to a height of five meters (16.4 feet).
EWP says that the results were astonishing, with the floaters surviving without any signs of storm damage. In addition to putting the storm protection mechanism through its paces, engineers at the site have examined the different characteristics of the Wave Clapper and Power Wing floaters, measured the influence of waves hitting the sides of the floaters, studied the effects of positioning floaters in close proximity to one another, and connected electrical devices to the system to demonstrate the generation of electricity.
The team has also been taking readings of the output at different wave heights and cycles, and EWP has determined from the results so far that two medium-scale devices would be sufficient to meet the electricity needs of between six and ten households.
The next phase of the current operation involves moving the setup to different coastal location to demonstrate that the EWP system can be connected to a variety of structures with relative ease. Once medium-scale testing and evaluation is complete, EWP will begin construction of its first commercial-scale Sea Wave Power Plant and will subsequently reveal system construction and production costs to potential customers.
Source: EWP