NewNergy

NewNergy discusses the latest inventions, innovations and breakthroughs in the energy & environmental sciences.

WaveRoller : An Invention to Harness Underwater Wave Energy

It was a Eureka moment for Rauno Koivusaari, and he started to work on harnessing the powerful motion for generating underwater wave power.Now, fifteen years later, the EU is funding the WaveRoller invented by that former diver, with $4.4 million,for his company AW-Energy to build the first full scale demo of his invention.

Each one at full size weighs 20 tons and produces 300 KW.Each 20 ton WaveRoller “door” can be connected together in threes to make up a nearly 1 MW unit. Obviously you can make a modular farm of any size under the ocean of these three-packed units, so the output can be as much as you can build tons-worth of “doors”.

AW-Energy’s WaveRoller uses the roiling currents under the sea to make energy from the repetitive surge motion at the sea floor in what Koivusaari calls the surge zone. The kinetic energy produced is collected by a piston pump. This energy can be converted to electricity by a closed hydraulic system in combination with a hydraulic motor/generator system.This year the company will get the results of a full scale demo built off the coast of Portugal.

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Hydraulic Gearless Transmissions for Large Wind Turbines

Edinburgh based Artemis Intelligent Power has been awarded £1million under Phase1 of the Low Carbon Energy Demonstration capital grants scheme to develop its Digital Displacement technology to replace the mechanical transmissions of wind turbines.

The technology will be initially demonstrated for a 1.5MW transmission but the Digital Displacement components developed will be directly transferable for multi-megawatt offshore deployment. Digital Displacement Hydraulic Transmission are gearless, making them lighter and lower cost than mechanical transmissions.

Digital Displacement uses different principles to off load unused capacity, in a manner which results in very low parasitic loss and because of the speed this is done, it can be controlled with a high bandwidth with good linearity and low hysteresis.

Waverley Cameron, chairman of Artemis Intelligent Power, said: "The Artemis Digital Displacement technology will provide cost effective solutions to some of the most challenging engineering problems facing the large scale deployment of offshore wind, wave and tidal power generation."

Its Digital Displacement technology has been able to overcome many of the efficiency problems traditionally associated with hydraulics and was originally developed for use on cars as a hybrid system, storing braking energy as hydraulic pressure in an accumulator, which can then be used for acceleration. The system improved fuel efficiency by 40%.

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Irish Tube Compressor: New Method of Harvesting Wave Energy

Dublin based company JOSPA hopes to demonstrate superior performance in sustainable electricity production with their new device called Irish Tube Compressor.

The Irish Tube Compressor is based on reinforced, flexible tubes lying on the water, using air and water driven forward in successive ’slugs’ by ocean waves, with the resulting water head and air pressure being converted to electricity, either by conventional means or being used directly in other processes (such as water desalination).

According to the company, the benefits of the Irish Tube Compressor are:
  • A big improvement in lower maintenance costs
  • Tube- or Hose- based, it mitigates the severity of marine conditions while it cannot remove them entirely.
  • A lower specific capital cost is expected (€ or $ per kW installed capacity)
  • A greater response to varying waves - superior bandwidth availability - greater time availability
  • Lower specific production costs - lower € or $ cost per kWh of production
  • Greater marine survivability
  • Faster return on capital invested due greater annual salable output
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New Wave Energy Device to Harness the Power of Sea

A new wave energy device known as "Anaconda" is the latest idea to harness the power of the seas.Its inventors claim the key to its success lies in its simplicity: Anaconda is little more than a length of rubber tubing filled with water.Waves in the water create bulges along the tubing that travel along its length gathering energy.At the end of the tube, the surge of energy drives a turbine and generates electricity.

The device is being developed by Checkmate Seaenergy Ltd, which has been testing a small-scale 8m-long prototype in a wave tank owned by the science and technology company Qinetiq.The company is now looking to raise £7m from investors to build a larger version to test at sea.The long-term plan is to have hundreds of these devices offshore where waves are big, in northern Scotland for example.It is claimed that a group of 50 full-size Anacondas - each 200m long - could provide electricity for 50,000 homes.

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Wave Treader With High Efficiency

Green Ocean Energy has developed the Wave Treader, based on its existing Ocean Treader design. Each device is comprised of a pair of floats connected to sliding hydraulic arms on the turbine's leg--as a wave passes, first one float then the other bobs up and compresses a hydraulic cylinder. A hydraulic smoother evens out the pressure in the hydraulic fluid, and then passes it on to a hydraulic generator which spits out electrical power. The whole assembly can freely rotate around the turbine leg of course, so that it faces into the oncoming waves for greater efficiency.

The power is sent down the very same supply lines the wind turbine uses, which further saves on infrastructure costs. Each device can generate 500KW of power, and Green Ocean expects to test a prototype this year and go commercial in 2011.

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Wave Treader-A Hybrid of Wave and Wind Power

Green Ocean Energy Ltd. has developed a wave power machine that attaches to an offshore wind turbine. The company says the economics of both machines are enhanced as infrastructure such as the foundation and cabling will now be shared.

The system, known as the Wave Treader, comprises sponsons, projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment, mounted on the end of arms both in front and behind the turbine’s column vertically mounted on the seabed.

Hydraulic cylinders are attached between the arms and an interface structure and as the wave passes along the device the sponsons and arms lift and fall stroking the hydraulic cylinders.The cylinders pressurize hydraulic fluid which, after smoothing by accumulators, spins hydraulic motors and then electric generators. The electricity is exported back to the shore through the same cables used by the wind turbines.

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Wave Powered Trans-pacific Boat Crossing by Kenichi Horie

Japanese adventurer sets out across the Pacific in the world's first wave-powered boat.

The vessel for Kenichi Horie's latest adventure has two wings in front which convert the energy from waves into a movement similar to a dolphin's kicks, making it the world's first boat to be powered by the vertical motion of waves. The trip is meant in part to promote the commercial viability of the invention built by a team at Japan's Tokai University.

See video here

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OE Buoy Completes Sea Trials for Wave Energy Convertor

Specialised wave energy technology company Ocean Energy recently completed the first successful sea trials for a wave energy converter. The device known as the OE Buoy has been undergoing extensive sea trials for the past eight months at the Marine Institute/SEI Wave Energy Test Site in Galway Bay. The test results, validated by the Hydraulic Marine Research Centre (HMRC) at University College Cork (UCC), represent a major breakthrough for Irish technologists in the search for viable alternative energy sources.

The device has been subjected to a wide range of wave conditions over the last eight months including a severe storm on New Year’s Eve when a wave height of 8.2 metres was experienced. The mooring system had no difficulty coping with these conditions and the whole system did not suffer any ill effects from the extreme waves.

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Ocean Power Technologies - Taking a Closer Look

Ocean Power Technologies - Taking a Closer Look

This blog post @ AEI takes a look at Ocean Power Technologies. The company, for its projects in Hawaii, New Jersey and Spain, have highly deployed power technology. One PowerBuoy produces 40kw and only in Hawaii and Spain will these wave "farms" will reach over 1 megawatt - this for a technology that is supposedly scaleable to hundreds of megawatts...

However, the post goes on to say there are good things about the PowerBuoy technology - it is modular, and add to it the fact that wave power is more predicatable than other intermittant renewable technologies based on wind or solar. In terms of costs, wave energy could cost more than wind energy but with economies of scale, within 3-5 years the costs could be the same for both...

Read the full post from here @ Alternative Energy Investor

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Finavera Renewables Signs Contract with SAIC for Ocean Energy Projects

Finavera Renewables Signs Contract with SAIC for Ocean Energy Projects

Press release

VANCOUVER, CANADA, March 14 - Finavera Renewables Inc. (TSX-V:FVR)
has announced that SAIC, a leader in system integration, systems engineering
and scientific services, will serve as the system integrator for Finavera
Renewables' portfolio of ocean energy conversion programs and installation
projects. This agreement will combine the technology developed by Finavera
Renewables with the engineering and marine experience of SAIC.

According to the terms of the contract, SAIC, a research and engineering
company, will provide system integration, systems engineering and design
review support, plus program and project management support. SAIC will work
with Finavera to develop, integrate, procure, install and test ocean energy
conversion devices, including the patented "AquaBuOY" in marine renewable
energy parks.

Alla Weinstein, Director and General Manager of Finavera Renewables,
Ocean Energy, said, "This is another significant step in our emerging
industry. This agreement brings two innovative companies together in the
interest of commercializing a new renewable energy technology, introducing it
as an available resource and strengthening energy security. SAIC brings a vast
amount of marine engineering experience to the table, and we are thrilled to
be working with them on the development of our patented 'AquaBuOY' technology
and generating projects. This agreement will advance Finavera Renewables
pursuit of the commercialization of the 'AquaBuOY' and the development of the
wave energy industry worldwide."

Jason Bak, CEO, Finavera Renewables commented, "This agreement is of key
importance for the planned installation of an AquaBuOY device in the USA in
2007. Working with SAIC will allow us to aggressively develop and construct
the AquaBuOY for this deployment. Following this initial installation, it is
anticipated that a number of devices will be deployed in what is planned to be
America's largest wave park."

About Finavera Renewables

Finavera Renewables is a Canadian listed issuer dedicated to the
development of renewable energy resources and technologies. The Company's
objective is to become a major renewable and green energy producer by
developing and operating its assets in the wind and wave energy sectors.

Finavera Renewables is developing several wave energy projects worldwide.
They include a 1MW pilot plant in Makah Bay, Washington State, USA, a 100MW
staged power project in Figuera da Foz, Portugal, a 20MW staged project in
South Africa, and a pilot project in BC, Canada.

Finavera Renewables is also developing wind energy projects with the goal
of delivering near term revenue. Finavera Renewables recently signed an
agreement to acquire the 150 MW Three Hills wind power project in Alberta,
Canada. In addition, twelve projects are under development in the Peace River
region of northeast British Columbia, Canada and six in the Cascades region of
the province's southern interior with a total potential capacity of over
1,500MW. A total potential of 175MW of wind energy projects are planned in
Ireland, in areas with wind resources amongst the best in Europe.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation
of an offer to sell any securities in the United States. The securities have
not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and
may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless
registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws
or an exemption from such registration is available. Statements in this news
release, other than purely historical information, including statements
relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results,
constitute Forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on numerous
assumptions and are subject to all the risks and uncertainties inherent in the
Company's business, including risks related to exploration and development.
Consequently, actual results may vary materially from those described in the
Forward-looking statements.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy
and accuracy of this release.

For more information, contact Finavera Renewables: info@finavera.com, + 1
604 288 9051.

For further information: Media Europe K Capital Source Jonathan Neilan
Tel. +353-1-631-5500 Cell. +353-86-231-4135, or Media North America Finavera Renewables Michael Clark Public Relations Tel. +1-604-288-9051

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Wave energy coming to coast

Wave energy coming to coast

Renewable resource - An Oregon-based electricity co-op and a New Jersey company join forces

March 01, 2007, Gail Kinsey Hill

A Portland-based electric co-op has hooked up with a private company to help develop a wave energy project off the Oregon Coast near Reedsport.

The agreement between Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC Power) and New Jersey-headquartered Ocean Power Technologies signals rising commercial interest in the emerging form of renewable energy.

Read the full report from here @ Oregon Live

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Wave energy catching on in the USA - PG&E seeks permit for Humboldt, Mendocino

Wave energy catching on
John Driscoll The Times-Standard

28 Feb 2007

PG&E seeks permit for Humboldt, Mendocino

Seeing potential in the waves that buffet the North Coast, the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. plans to file a federal application today to study a swath of ocean off Humboldt Bay for a wave power project.

The preliminary permit application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, plus another for an area off the Mendocino County coast, are the first steps in the possible development of a project to produce electricity. The permits, if granted, act like a mining claim, and would give PG&E exclusive rights to study the areas for three years.

Read the full report from here @ Times Standard Online

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Wave energy set to turn the tide in the UK

Wave energy set to turn the tide in the UK

By Brian Milligan, Business reporter, BBC News, Island of Hoy

Delegates at a key wave and tidal power conference in London held in Mar 2007 were told that marine energy needs more financial support to help the industry get established as quickly as possible. On Orkney Islands in the UK, the Ocean Power Delivery company is pioneering a wave energy project, and has built a site for the world's biggest wave farm so far, which comprise four 40 metres long steel tubes, which float on the surface of the sea. The action of the waves makes each section flex against the next one. Plenty of sea could mean plenty of energy...

Read the full news report from here @ BBC News

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Green business: Ocean Power rides the alternative energy wave

Green business: Ocean Power rides the alternative energy wave

22 March 2007

Lauren MacGillivray, News Reporter

Ocean Power Technologies is to be involved in a scheme to build a power plant on the Cornish coast (UK) by 2008.

The American company uses PowerBuoy® technology to float large buoy-like devices that are loosely tied to the seabed. The buoys capture wave energy through a turbine and send the energy through a cable to the coastline which is then fed into a power grid.

Read the full news report from here @ City Wire

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