ESVAGT has provided support to Wavepiston during the installation of its wave energy device at the test site near Hanstholm, Denmark.
The ‘Esvagt Connector’ vessel was in charge of towing the power system from port and three kilometers out at sea, Southeast of Hanstholm, and the crew managed the anchor handling and pulling the over 300-meter long chain, which is part of the device.
Michael Henriksen , Wavepiston CEO, said: “It is unquestionable that the crew on board the Esvagt Connector know what they’re doing. It has been an absolute pleasure to cooperate with them.
“It is clear that ESVAGT’s main focus is on the personnel’s and the equipment’s safety. They are on top of everything, which in turn results in a very serene and efficient process on site. We can truly learn from that.”
ESVAGT’s head of Commercial, Ib Hansen , added: “Thanks to the Esvagt Connector and other multirole vessels in our fleet, we are able to help our customers with a large range of tasks, including anchor handling and towing. These are areas where we can see a potential expansion, and we are pleased with the trust that Wavepiston has shown us, and the opportunity for us to demonstrate what we are capable of .”
The test in Hanstholm was the last in a series of trials before launching full scale tests, which are expected to be completed between 2019 and 2021.
Michael Henriksen expects that commercial wave power will be available during 2022.
The Wavepiston system is made up of a simple string consisting of a steel wire rope and a flexible pipe.
On the string, energy collectors are mounted, each consisting of two pumps and a plate. The purpose of the energy collectors is to convert the surge motion of the waves to pressurized water.
The device itself works when waves roll along the wire moving the plates back and forth. The moving plates pump seawater into pipe which leads it to onshore turbine station which converts pressurized water to electricity.