Fiellberg has developed for years pumping systems for wave energy Wavepiston concept. More information of this green energy concept can be found on the website www.wavepiston.dk.
Now we have reached an important milestone as Wavepiston and Fiellberg have during 1½ years worked together in the Eurostars LOCWEC project on improving the control of the loads on the Wavepiston energy collectors. A proper load control is key to increasing the efficiency and durability of the system reaching a competitive levelised cost of energy and water.
One of the largest challenges for getting a competitive wave power system is handling the loads from the large waves, not only surviving the waves but also be durable to keep the costs for maintenance down. The large waves are not frequent, they count for less than 1 % of the year, but a wave energy converter must be designed to handle these and even the largest wave that can happen in a 100-year perspective.
Michael Henriksen, CEO of Wavepiston, explains: “In the project we have had a good cooperation with Fiellberg to develop and test an improved solution for load control in relation to the hydraulics and flip mechanism. The aim was to improve the energy conversion by having larger plates on the energy collectors, more durable pumps and reaching a 7-years lifetime”.
Juha Elonen, Managing Director of Fiellberg, follows up: “The Fiellberg telescopic pumps have undergone several improvements during the project. We are very thrilled to see that we have achieved a more durable design within a reasonable short time with the support of the Eurostars grant”.
The project has now been finalised. The improved load control system will be demonstrated in relation to two full-scale projects. One at Plocan, Gran Canaria, supported by EU’s Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, and one at a small tourist island, Isola Piana, Sardinia, supported by EU’s Horizon 2020 Fast Track to Innovation Programme.
Testing in The North Sea
Illustration of the load control principle of flipping plates when the loads get to large