By Prof Lars Johanning, Professor of Ocean Technology, University of Plymouth
The WEDUSEA project aims to demonstrate the commercial viability of large-scale wave energy generation. But wave energy itself is not a new idea. In fact, the concept was first documented more than 200 years ago.
This article looks at some of the key milestones in the development of wave energy devices.
The first known patent for wave energy was filed by Frenchman Pierre-Simon Girard in 1799. Girard had a concept for a wave energy device that would power irrigation pumps. Much later, in 1895, a patent was granted to a Spanish engineer called Isidoro Cabanyes for a wave-driven device that would pump water into a reservoir and then release it to generate electricity. While these particular early concepts were never built, they laid down some of the theoretical framework and helped inspire the other pioneers that would follow.
In 1910, Busso Belasek of France invented an early form of power station driven by wave energy. This was capable of generating 1,000 watts of electricity for his buildings. The air pressure caused by the oscillation of the waves was used to drive a turbine which converted the energy into electricity.
Also in 1910, a French engineer called Bochaux Praceique constructed what is believed to be the world’s first oscillating water column, a type of wave energy converter that is still used today. His device was used to provide light and power to a house near Bordeaux.
After these early forays into wave energy development, hundreds of new patent applications were to follow in subsequent years.
In the 1940s, Japanese Naval commander and inventor, Yoshio Masuda, developed a navigation buoy powered by wave energy. Many people regard him as the father of modern wave energy technology due to his extensive research on different wave energy systems. Later, in the 1960s, these kinds of wave-charged buoys were put into commercial production for the domestic market and also exported by Japan.
When the oil crisis struck in the 1970s it generated a great deal of interest in alternative forms of energy, and especially renewable energy. This led to a new focus of research on wave energy, which soon revealed its enormous untapped potential.
One of the key figures in research on wave energy was Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University. In 1974, he published an article on wave energy in Nature Magazine. This inspired many scientific research institutions around the world to investigate wave energy more thoroughly. Salter himself also invented a floating wave energy device nicknamed “Salter’s Duck.” This was capable of capturing up to 80% of the energy created by the waves.
During the 1970s, Japan used a test ship called the Hamming to explore wave energy technology. It was able to achieve small scale wave energy generation from floating power plants and then successfully bring the electricity ashore.
In the early 1980s, the rapid fall in oil prices led to a decline in funding for wave energy. However, as the decade progressed, concern about climate change would eventually cause a resurgence in interest for renewables, including wave energy.
In 1989, a prototype of an oscillating water column converter was developed in Scotland. This could generate up to 75 kW. This would eventually lead to a larger device, called the Limpet, being installed on the island of Islay in 2000. This could generate power of up to 500 kW and was the first commercial wave energy device to be connected to the National Grid. The Limpet operated successfully for over 10 years.
From 1991 onwards, the European Commission began including wave energy in their funding programmes for renewable energy. The opened up the opportunity for greater financial support for wave energy, helping to promote further development of the technology.
In 2003, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) was established as the world’s first commercial, open-sea testing facility for wave and tidal energy technologies. EMEC offers purpose-built facilities for testing prototype technologies and operates two grid-connected, accredited test sites.
Another important milestone came in 2008, with the launch of the world’s first commercial wave energy power plant, the Agucadoura Wave Farm, off the coast of Portugal. Three wave energy devices were installed, based on a similar technology to that developed by Stephen Salter. The wave farm was designed to have a peak capacity of 2.25 MW which is enough to power 1,600 homes. Unfortunately, the operation was shut down early due to technical and financial problems. This demonstrates some of the challenges faced in achieving large scale wave energy.
The interest in wave energy has continued to grow over recent years, as governments and investors in a number of countries have put more funding behind developing the technology. Building on the learnings of all these past projects, the focus of research today is on improving the efficiency, cost and scalability of wave energy technologies.
The WEDUSEA project team are inspired by the rich and varied history of wave energy development and we are excited to be carrying forward this vital scientific work, as we seek to demonstrate the commercial potential of wave energy.
