Finnish wave energy developer, Wello Ltd, has on September the 11 th released further test results of the Penguin wave energy converter installed in Orkney, Scotland.
The Penguin wave energy converter survived first heavy storms in Orkney when the device was battered with over 12 meters waves. Even the mooring system appeared to work as designed. Additional recovery cables caused some wear-and-tear to the ropes and will need to be removed in the future installations.
Further data covering also period of heavy weather conditions have now been analysed. Analysis verifies that movements of the device are controlled and suitable for power production even in heavy sea conditions since the device stabilizes itself.
This was expected based on the 1:8 scale model sea tests where the device survived hundred years storm conditions three times. Obviously these conditions induce heavy loads to the mooring system and need to be taken into account.
“We are pleased to have demonstrated that the Penguin survives these conditions. Early autumn conditions in Orkney have however shown that commissioning operations on sea are impractical in this phase when we need to access the device frequently. We have decided to continue power plant commissioning on berth and resume sea tests when that is completed,” says Aki Luukkainen, CEO of Wello Ltd .
This completes the first series of test program. The device and the associated moorings will go through an extensive series of inspections, which will then help to guide future deployment plans and future design activity.
Throughout this first deployment of the Penguin device Wello has been supported by a large group of Orkney based companies led and co-ordinated by Orcades Marine.
The Chief Innovations Officer of Wello Ltd. Heikki Paakkinen said: “ We really appreciate the support that we have had from Orkney, it has helped us greatly to get the most out of this first stage in our testing programme and we look forward to our next phases with similar levels of local support.”
Wello Penguin is a unique and patented construction to harvest ocean energy. It is based on industry standard components, including a generator typically used in wind turbines, to allow scalable manufacturing by virtually any shipyard using existing manufacturing processes.
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Press release, September 12, 2012; Image: Wello