Antinuclear

World’s first wave-energy farm connected to grid is switched on in Western Australia.

“We’ve specifically designed the technology to be scalable and one of the main aims of this project was to show you could plug multiple wave units together and have them operating in sync.

“This technology… can operate in a variety of water depths, swell directions and seafloor conditions and can generate power for both onshore and offshore consumption,”

WA wave energy project turned on to power naval base at Garden Island ABC News 18 Feb 15, The world’s first wave-energy farm connected to the electricity grid has been switched on in Western Australia.

The project by Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy will provide renewable electricity for Australia’s largest naval base, HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island.

The same system is also used to run a small desalination plant, which will be used to supply up to one-third of the base’s fresh water needs.

Carnegie has placed buoys beneath the ocean surface off Garden Island and when waves move the buoys, it creates hydraulic pressure that is delivered to a plant onshore to be converted to power for the base.

The project cost about $100 million and has two operating units, with a third to be added, for what will be a three-megawatt project.

Carnegie CEO Michael Ottaviano said the units provided enough energy to power the equivalent of between 1,500 to 2,000 households…….

“We’ve specifically designed the technology to be scalable and one of the main aims of this project was to show you could plug multiple wave units together and have them operating in sync.

“So, if you can do it with two or three, and it’s actually harder to do it with two or three than it is with 100 because the variability is quite high – if you’ve got 100 units, it’s much to easier to control and the footprint’s very small.”

He said the WA site was chosen specifically.

“Our wave resource in Western Australia is the best in the world, and theoretically the resource that hits our coastline every day could power the state 10 times over,” Mr Ottaviano said.

“Across the country, it’s the best in the world as well, and the resource there could power the country twice over, so the opportunity is huge and Australia should be a world leader in this particular technology because we’ve got the best resource.”

WA’s Energy Minister Mike Nahan said the plant could operate in a variety of conditions.

“This technology… can operate in a variety of water depths, swell directions and seafloor conditions and can generate power for both onshore and offshore consumption,” he said.

The WA Government had contributed $9.96 million from its low-emissions energy development fund towards the development of the technology and the project. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-18/wa-wave-energy-project-turned-on-to-power-naval-base/6141254

February 20, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, Western Australia