Life DemoWave makes progress with WEC construction

WEC buoy and hydrauilic system (Photo: Life DemoWave)

 
Developers behind the Life DemoWave project have informed that the construction of wave energy converters (WECs), planned for deployment off Galicia, is well underway.

The construction of the buoys began at the end of April, in parallel with the assembly of electrical and mechanical hydraulic systems.

Life DemoWave developers said the systems will be incorporated into the buoys once they have been verified for operation, which presents the last step before the launching of wave energy devices.

Also, the team is continuing with the laboratory testing of control and telemetry equipment which will be added to wave devices along with the rest of the systems.

The two oscillating water column WEC prototypes, each one scaled at 25kW, will be deployed off the coast of Galicia in Spain at the experimental site in Punta Langosteira, for which the project’s team secured the permits in May 2017.

The main goal of the Life DemoWave project is to demonstrate the viability of using WECs for power production, along with other environmental benefits of using such systems.

The EU-backed project runs until September 2018. It brings together a multidisciplinary consortium including Quantum Innovative, the University of Vigo, CETMAR, Advanced Crew and Ship Management (ACSM), Hércules Control (HCTech), and Grupo Josmar.