Waves4Power launch

Shortly, Waves4Power’s 42 meter long buoy will be transported up the Norwegian coast.

At the island of Runde, Norway, the buoy will be deployed and produce electricity for the Norwegian grid.

– We hope that this is the beginning of a new, large Scandinavian industry, says Waves4Power CEO Ulf Lindelöf.

He explains that the WEC system works like “a bicycle pump”; the huge pipe is open in both ends, and is long enough to make sure that one of the endings lies below the actual wave movements. This means that the water entering the pipe is not moving, which enables a counter-swing force against the buoy. Inside the tube, there is a piston that is connected to a generator by a hydraulic system. From this buoy, a set of cables connect to other buoys located above the surface.

One of the main issues is finding a way to make sure that the system can withstand the enormous force of the waves (up to 30 meters in height), day in and day out, without the need of constant maintenance and repairs. Seaflex is a strategic partner of the Waves4Power project tasked to develop a mooring solution that fulfills this need.

The buoy now entering the full-scale test will collect data until April 2016, after which the aim is to start producing a wave energy park consisting of several hubs and buoys.

For more information, please visit Waves4Power

Source (Swedish newspaper)