Interesting Quayside anchored wave energy device – watch the video – many attractive features

‘Another wave energy device is the Seahorse system [25]. The Port of Pecem, Brazil, began the commissioning of a wave power plant with an installed power of 50 kW in June 2012. The initiative promoted by the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Engineering and Research (Coppe), linked to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, was named Seahorse in its first version. It was composed of two large mechanical arms fixed to the pier of the port. At the end of these arms and in contact with the sea water, were circular buoys (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Seahorse power take off system, Brazil Pecem [25].

With the movement of the waves the structure moves up and down, driving hydraulic pumps, which makes the fresh water contained in a closed circuit (in which there is no exchange with the environment), circulate in a high-pressure network. The high-pressure water is directed to a two-stage accumulator, that has compressed water and air in a hyperbaric chamber. Which is the device’s lung. Its task is to provide pressurized water to a Pelton turbine coupled to an electric generator.

Integration of Marine Wave Energy Converters into Seaports: A Case Study in the Port of Valencia

A feasibility study for the installation of Wave Energy Converters (WEC) in a Spanish Mediterranean port is evaluated in this paper. The final aim is to evaluate the possibility of building a new infrastructure which combines a breakwater and a WEC able to provide energy to the commercial port of Valencia. An estimation of the wave power potential is made according to existing databases from different sources. A review of the existing WEC types is carried out in order to choose the most suitable technology for its installation in a port environment. The authors discuss the main advantages and issues of the integration of WEC in port breakwaters. A prospective study for the Port of Valencia is made, considering the port energy demand evolution, historical data on wave energy potential and the port expansion plans. We conclude that Overtopping Devices (OTDs) are the most suitable ones to allow the good integration with the new breakwater needed for the expansion of the Port of Valencia and we give an estimation on the power available from the resource in our case study. Click here to read more