Aguçadoura Wave Farm
| Aguçadoura Wave Farm | |
|---|---|
 Pelamis machine bursting through a wave. | |
 | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°25′57″N 8°50′33″W / 41.4325°N 8.8425°W |
| Status | Offline |
| Commission date | September 23, 2008 |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity |
|
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Aguçadoura Wave Farm was the world's first wave farm. It was located 5 km (3 mi) offshore near Póvoa de Varzim north of Porto in Portugal. The farm was designed to use three Pelamis wave energy converters to convert the motion of the ocean surface waves into electricity, totalling to 2.25MW in total installed capacity. The farm was officially opened on the 23rd of September 2008, by the Portuguese Minister of Economy.[1][2] The wave farm was shut down two months after the official opening in November 2008.[3][4]
Pelamis machines
Developed by the Scottish company Pelamis Wave Power, the Pelamis machine is made up of connected sections which flex and bend relative to one another as waves run along the structure. This motion is resisted by hydraulic rams which pump high pressure oil through hydraulic motors which in turn drive electrical generators. The three machines which made up the Aguçadoura Wave Park were each rated at a peak output of 750kW, giving an installed peak capacity of 2.25MW, enough to meet the average electricity demand of more than 1,500 Portuguese homes.[5] The average output from a Pelamis machine will depend on the wave resource in a particular area. The higher the resource the higher the average output. According to information on the Pelamis web site it appears that the average power output for a Pelamis wave machine is about 150kW. [6]
Project management
The project was originally conceived by the Portuguese renewable energy company Enersis, which developed and financed the project and which was subsequently bought by the Australian infrastructure company Babcock & Brown in December 2005. In the last quarter of 2008 Babcock & Brown had its shares suspended and has been in a managed process of selling its assets, including the Aguçadoura project. In March 2009 Babcock & Brown went into voluntary administration.[7]
In November 2008 the Pelamis machines were brought back to harbor at Leixões due to a technical problem with some of the bearings for which a solution has been found. However the machines are likely to remain offline until a new partner is found to take over Babcock & Brown’s 77% share in the project. It seems however that this is unlikely, according to Pelamis "Those machines are sub-optimal" and the owners are trying to sell the machines.[4] Pelamis are now focusing their efforts on the new P2 machine[8], which is being tested in Orkney in Scotland since 2010.
See also
References
- ^ "23 de Setembro de 2008". Government of Portugal. Retrieved 2008-09-24. [dead link]
- ^ Jha, Alok (2008-09-25). "Making waves: UK firm harnesses power of the sea ... in Portugal". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Pelamis Sinks Portugal Wave Power". cleantech.com. Retrieved 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Pelamis Wave Power Jettisons Its CEO, Rough Waters Ahead?". greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Wave energy contract goes abroad". BBC Scotland. 2005-05-19. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Local Resource Assessment". Pelamis Wave Power. Retrieved 2010-08-12. [dead link]
- ^ "It's game over for investment bank Babcock & Brown". Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ "E.ON UK Launches First Pelamis P2 Wave Power Device For Test". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) [dead link]
External links
