Slow Mill completes offshore preps for its wave energy converter

Dutch wave energy company Slow Mill Sustainable Power has completed inspection and sampling at sea for deploying Slow Mill – 40, its first wave energy converter, into the coastal waters of Texel.

According to the company, its 50-tonne concrete anchor has not moved an inch after two and a half years and has developed an abundance of sea life.

Different scenarios for coupling the Slow Mill and the anchor are now being evaluated, as well as options for deploying the system into the sea.

Slow Mill Sustainable Power plans to report about The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) research results later.

To remind, the Dutch wave energy company installed the anchor four kilometres off the Texel island in North-Holland Province back in 2018 as part of the government-backed pilot to test its wave energy technology ahead of full-scale demonstration.

Wave energy research vessel Empiric, built especially for the installation, maintenance and research on the Slow Mill wave energy converter, began its maiden voyage offshore the Netherlands at the beginning of August.

The Slow Mill wave energy system works as waves push the floater up and the blades away from the anchor, utilizing not only the up and down movement but also the back-and-forth movement of the waves.

When the waves recede, they take the Slow Mill back to its starting position and a winch reels in the cable, preparing the device for the next wave.