Wave hub
Encyclopedia
The Wave Hub is a wave power
research project. The project is developed approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) off Hayle
, on the north coast of Cornwall
, United Kingdom. The hub is a 'socket' sitting on the seabed
for wave energy converters to be plugged into; it will have connections to it from arrays of four kinds of wave energy converter. A cable from the hub to main land will take electrical power from the devices to the electric grid
. The total capacity of the hub will be 20 MWe. The estimated cost of the project is £28 million.
The one to be confirmed is:
and started in the ship business. Recently they have expanded into offshore wind. "Fred Olsen Limited has developed a unique multiple point-absorber system for energy extraction from the waves. A number of floating buoys attached to a light and stable floating platform manufactured in composites converts the wave energy to electricity."
and Ocean Prospect. They intend to install up to seven Pelamis devices. "The Pelamis is a semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pump high-pressure oil through hydraulic motors that drive electrical generators to produce electricity." Each Pelamis machine is rated at 750 kW.
Wave Hub could generate £76 million over 25 years for the regional economy. It would create at least 170 jobs and possibly hundreds more by creating a new wave power industry in South West England.
Wave Hub could generate enough electricity for 7,500 homes, saving 24,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year when displacing fossil fuels. This would support South West England’s target for generating 15 per cent of the region’s power from renewable sources by 2010.
Wave power
Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water...
research project. The project is developed approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) off Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
, on the north coast of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom. The hub is a 'socket' sitting on the seabed
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
for wave energy converters to be plugged into; it will have connections to it from arrays of four kinds of wave energy converter. A cable from the hub to main land will take electrical power from the devices to the electric grid
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
. The total capacity of the hub will be 20 MWe. The estimated cost of the project is £28 million.
Developers
The project is developed by the South West of England Regional Development Agency. A total of four wave device developers will connect their arrays into the Wave Hub. This will allow the developers to transmit and sell their renewable electricity to the UK's electricity distribution grid. Each developer will be able to locate their devices in one quarter of the 3 by rectangle allocated to the Wave Hub. A sub-sea transformer will be provided with capacity to deliver up to a total of 20 MW of power into the local distribution network. There are three wave device developers confirmed and one still in negotiation. The three confirmed developers are:- Ocean Power Technologies Limited
- Fred Olsen Limited
- WestWave - which uses the PelamisPelamis wave energy converterThe Pelamis Wave Energy Converter is a technology that uses the motion of ocean surface waves to create electricity. The machine is made up of connected sections which flex and bend as waves pass; it is this motion which is used to generate electricity....
technology of Scottish company.
The one to be confirmed is:
- OceanlinxOceanlinxOceanlinx is a leading international company which has created Wave Energy Converter technology. The company has developed proprietary technology for extracting energy from ocean waves and converting it into either electricity or desalinated sea water. Known as Energetech until 2007, Oceanlinx has...
Ocean Power Technologies, Ltd.
Ocean Power Technologies, Ltd. is a US-based company, formed by Dr. George W. Taylor and the late Dr. Joseph R. Burns. Since 1994, OPT has focused on its proprietary PowerBuoy® technology.Fred Olsen Limited
Fred Olsen Limited is originally from Oslo, NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and started in the ship business. Recently they have expanded into offshore wind. "Fred Olsen Limited has developed a unique multiple point-absorber system for energy extraction from the waves. A number of floating buoys attached to a light and stable floating platform manufactured in composites converts the wave energy to electricity."
WestWave
WestWave is a joint venture of E.ONE.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
and Ocean Prospect. They intend to install up to seven Pelamis devices. "The Pelamis is a semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pump high-pressure oil through hydraulic motors that drive electrical generators to produce electricity." Each Pelamis machine is rated at 750 kW.
Description
The project is financed by the South West of England Regional Development Agency (£12.5 million), the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme (£20 million) and the UK government (£9.5 million).Wave Hub could generate £76 million over 25 years for the regional economy. It would create at least 170 jobs and possibly hundreds more by creating a new wave power industry in South West England.
Wave Hub could generate enough electricity for 7,500 homes, saving 24,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year when displacing fossil fuels. This would support South West England’s target for generating 15 per cent of the region’s power from renewable sources by 2010.