WERC intensifies Oz wave resource efforts

The University of Western Australia’s Wave Energy Research Centre (WERC) has intensified efforts to assess wave resources along the coastline of the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

The primary wave energy development site and oceanographic field site is the Sandpatch/Torbay area offshore the Albany Windfarm, where a Datawell buoy has been deployed since July 2018.

According to the WERC, the real-time data is freely available via dedicated site.

In early December 2020, the WERC team also deployed a Sofar ocean spotter buoy in Albany’s outer harbour, King George Sound, to characterise a second wave energy development site adjacent to significant aquaculture ventures.

This deployment is further part of a two-year collaboration with the Integrated Marine Observing System, under the New Technology Proving project, WERC said.

WERC, based in Albany, Western Australia, was founded to uncover the best methods for harnessing renewable energy from the oceans.

The multidisciplinary research undertaken at WERC is said to be critical to finding cost-effective ways of generating wave energy on an industrial scale.

The main objective of WERC is to conduct research to advance the wave energy industry and to support and enable the development, deployment and operation of wave energy converters at Torbay, west of Albany.

WERC is also a member of the Australian Ocean Energy Group, an industry group established to strengthen the collaboration and accelerate innovation across ocean energy sectors in Australia.