Wave Swell Energy (WSE) has unveiled plans to install a 200kW wave energy device on the eastern side of King Island in Tasmania before the end of 2018.
The installation of the smaller version of the device in a more benign wave climate is expected to bridge the gap between the tank testing and commercial phases of the technology’s development, the Australian-based wave energy developer WSE said.
The deployment comes ahead of the installation of a full-sized 1MW version, planned for the west side of the King Island.
WSE said it will use the 200kW project to gain experience in deploying its devices in a safe and risk averse manner, conforming to the offshore industry’s established protocols for the transport and installation of large structures in the open ocean.
The project will also provide an opportunity to fine-tune the operation of the device in an easily accessible location, the company said.
“Many past failures in the sector have been attributed to transitioning too quickly from the R&D stage to the commercial phase. Doing so increases risk needlessly, as history has shown,” WSE said in a statement.
WSE’s device design is a concrete gravity structure that sits on the seabed at the water depth of 10 meters. It is based on the oscillating water column concept, which acts like an artificial blowhole with water rising and falling inside a chamber.
The full-scale 1MW device would cost up to $7 million to build and at peak times would be able to provide up to half the power for King Island’s 1,600 residents.