Download THE WAVES ARE ROLLING FOR WAVE STAR POWERFUL

Wave Star
Energy
Nr. 01 Wave Star Energy 2006
THE WAVES ARE ROLLING
FOR WAVE STAR
Wave Star Energy has launched its test machine at Nissum
Bredning. This represents a significant step for Denmark
towards commercial wave power.
Page 4-5
POWERFUL FORCES IN PLAY
TThe experts have great confidence in wave energy and agree that waves contain far more energy than wind. This is the
foundation for a new wind turbine adventure.
Back page
2
WAV E STA R
Page 3 // INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the first magazine about Wave Star Energy’s wave power project.
Page 4-5 // THE WAVES ARE ROLLING FOR WAVE STAR
Wave Star Energy has now been installed at Nissum Bredning and, after a short running-in
period, the wave machine will begin to produce electricity. The launch of the company’s test
machine is a major step on the way towards commercial wave power.
Page 6-7 // HOW WAVE STAR WORKS
The Wave Star machine represents a solution to both the trivial and complex problems
which, for years, have stood in the way of the development of commercially viable wave
power technology.
Page 8 // POWERFUL FORCES IN PLAY
There are many good reasons for investing in wave energy. Confidence in the
renewable energy source is high, and it forms the basis for a new wind turbine adventure.
Colophon
PUBLISHER
TEXT AND PRODUCTION
DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Per Resen Steenstrup
Storyhouse
.coma reklame
Managing director, Wave Star Energy
Jernbanegade 2 1. sal
Møllegade 32
Maglemosevej 61
6000 Kolding
8000 Århus C
2920 Charlottenlund
Denmark
Denmark
E: [email protected]
W: www.coma.dk
Denmark
E: [email protected]
W: www.wavestarenergy.com
W: www.storyhouse.dk
WAV E STA R
FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR
WAVE POWER IN DENMARK
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the first magazine about Wave Star Energy’s wave power project.
With the installation of a 1:10 model of Wave Star Energy’s wave power machine at Nissum Bredning in April we have taken a major step towards the viable commercialisation
of wave power in Denmark.
After more than a year’s preparation, and over 1,000 tests and the taking of measurements, we are now ready to test the machine in the environment where the future lies,
i.e. in the ocean itself.
Research has shown that, in time, wave power could cover up to 20-30 percent of our
energy consumption. With the Wave Star project we hope to be able to help create a new
source of renewable energy from the seas around us.
But no less important is the fact that we have good reason to believe that if we can get
wave power up and running, we can also lay the foundations for a major new Danish
industrial adventure, generating over 10,000 new jobs. Our optimism is due in no small
part to the fact that there is enormous synergy between this and the wind turbine industry, as far as knowledge and skills are concerned, so Denmark could gain a natural head
start within this industry too.
There are also several reasons why wave power could, in the future, become even more
interesting than wind turbines as a renewable energy source. Firstly the restrictions are
not as stringent offshore and there is less to take into consideration than there is onshore
Introduction
with wind turbines. The wave power machines will quite simply be placed so far out to
sea that they will not be visible from land.
Secondly, wave power is a more stable energy source than wind power, as the energy
output of turbines varies considerably with changeable weather conditions. And thirdly,
the energy density of waves is markedly higher than that of wind turbines.
But we are still far from being ready with the final commercial solution. Unlike wind
turbines, wave power machines are somewhat more difficult to construct as they have to
function in a much harsher environment. This means that the entry level for wave power
machines is much higher than for other energy forms – and this will demand exceptional
engineering skills, before wave power can become a definite alternative to the wind
turbines.
At Wave Star Energy we are determined that we will be the ones to crack the nut and
present the first machine to perform commercially. At Nissum Bredning there is now at
least hard evidence that we have taken a major step on the way.
Happy reading!
Per Resen Steenstrup
Managing director, Wave Star Energy
3
4
WAV E STA R
The waves are
rolling for Wave Star
WAVE STAR ENERGY HAS NOW BEEN INSTALLED AT NISSUM BREDNING AND, AFTER A SHORT RUNNING-IN PERIOD, THE WAVE MACHINE WILL BEGIN TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY. THE LAUNCH OF THE
COMPANY’S TEST MACHINE IS A MAJOR STEP ON THE WAY TOWARDS COMMERCIAL WAVE POWER.
When a 1:10 model of Wave Star Energy’s wave ma-
The 1:10 scale model is 24 metres long and designed
chine was placed on pontoons in the West Jutland town
to stand in water which is a couple of metres deep. The
of Agger Havn one April afternoon and then towed out
20 floats on either side of the machine, which generate
into Nissum Bredning, it was a major step for the Dan-
the electricity by being pressed upwards by the waves,
ish-owned wave power company.
are one metre in diameter and generate electricity from
waves of a height of just 10 centimetres. But in spite of
“We have run over 1,000 tests and taken readings on
its size the test machine has been built in exactly the
this machine in the wave tank at Aalborg University
same way as the 240-metre long Wave Star machines
Center,” explains Managing Director of Wave Star En-
of the future.
ergy, Per Resen Steenstrup.
“The 1:10 machine will be controlled in exactly the same
“We have been preparing for this for a whole year and
way as the full-scale machine and this means that it
now only one thing remains for us to do, and that is to
will provide us with practical operational experience,”
come out into the actual sea. The machine is to go out
explains Per Resen Steenstrup.
to run in real surroundings and provide us with masses
of new know-how about how such systems should be
“We will find out how reliable it is and how we need to
run.”
control it to ensure that it generates as much electricity
WAV E STA R
5
For more information on Wave Star Energy
– go to www.wavestarenergy.com
Jørgen Mads Clausen:
only.
NISSUM BREDNING IS
THE FIRST MILESTONE
Its positioning at Nissum Bredning is not by chance – as
As far back as 1975 Jørgen Mads Clausen sat himself down and
it is here that the wave conditions correspond to around
studied the options for renewable energy. He looked at the hydrogen
a tenth of the conditions in the North Sea. And the
society, focused on solar energy and also considered wave power as a
waves here are comparable to real ocean waves, as they
possible business area.
as possible.” And it has not been built for this purpose
are extremely regular.
“But at that time I came to the conclusion that wave energy was not
The test machine has an output of 5.5 kilowatt and can
commercially viable. Due to the powerful natural forces of the oceans
generate electrical power corresponding to the electri-
during storms, the plants would have to be of such a solid construction
cal power consumption of two single-family houses. The
that it would be unlikely to be cost-effective,” explains Jørgen Mads
plan is that it will remain in Nissum Bredning for three
Clausen.
years, but Wave Star Energy has already begun work
on the construction of a 1:2 model of the 3 megawatt
Today he is managing director of Denmark’s largest industrial concern,
machine, which is the ultimate goal.
Danfoss A/S. But that does not mean that he has lost all interest in
renewable energy – which is why he has invested part of his private
“Each time the size of the machine is doubled – and can
fortune in Wave Star Energy, of which he is chairman.
thereby withstand a wave height which is twice as high
– the effect of the machine increases 1 1 times. With
“When I looked at the Wave Star design I could see immediately that
wind turbines the effect is only quadrupled at the same
the problems, that I had envisaged back in the 70s, had been solved
wind speed,” says Per Resen Steenstrup.
in such an ingenious way that there was commercial potential in the
machine. Not least because it could be patented,” says Jørgen Mads
This means that the 1:2 model will have an output of
Clausen.
500 kilowatt.
He is delighted that, after thousands of hours of testing, a 1:10 model
“As soon as we have tested the 1:2 model and docu-
of the Wave Star machine has now been installed at Nissum Bredning.
mented its output data in the North Sea, we will begin
to market the Wave Star machine. And the prospects are
”It will be a long time before the industry becomes commercial. We
huge. To put it into context you could say that, in the
are advancing with small steps at a time, with new and larger scale
course of the 25 or so years which the wind turbine in-
models every year, and this is quite simply because nobody wants to
dustry has been in existence, it has succeeded in reduc-
spend several hundred million kroner on a plant which, thanks to a hur-
ing the price per kilowatt hour roughly seven times. But
ricane, is left drifting on the surface in a state of complete destruction.
we just need to reduce the price four times to get down
The forces of nature are so immense that we will need to have many
to the same level,” explains Per Resen Steenstrup.
hours’ work under our belts before we have the experience necessary
to venture into large scale,” believes Jørgen Mads Clausen.
The Wave Star wind power machines will be designed
for an operating life of approx. 50 years in an ocean
“This said, the project at Nissum Bredning is naturally a huge mile-
environment. The plan is that the machine will undergo
stone because we will now be able see whether it works in practice.
a major inspection every 10 years, when the machine
But it has taken the wind turbine industry 25 years to attain the level
will be towed into land, thereby avoiding costly offshore
which it is at now, and I imagine that it will be much the same for
operations. In reality the machines will be written off
wave power – even if we can perhaps advance a little faster as we
in less than 20 years, so the remaining operating life
can lean on the expertise from that industry. But we have to start
represents pure profit.
cautiously and make the expensive mistakes whilst the machine is as
small as it is now.”
There have been numerous attempts to come up with a
viable wave power machine and Wave Star’s ambition is
The businessman from Southern Jutland sees big business potential
clear:
the day that the industry is in possession of the experience it needs.
“It is our aim to make this the new de facto world
“There is huge potential in wave power in areas with west-facing
standard. Our goal is to make the Wave Star machine a
coast lines, e.g. Ireland, Scotland and Norway which have a raw and
commercial success. This is serious business – we don’t
harsh climate. But there are also plenty of island communities, in the
do hobby projects,” clarifies Per Resen Steenstrup.
Mediterranean for example, which do not experience a lot of wind but
do, on the other hand, have a lot of waves – and it would be an ideal
solution for them, to invest in wave power. It is also clear that many
countries in the West have reached a point where they want to free
themselves of their dependency on the unstable oil nations. And this
can only be made a reality if we look at other forms of energy.”
6
WAV E STA R
How Wave
Star works
THE WAVE STAR MACHINE REPRESENTS A SOLUTION TO BOTH THE TRIVIAL AND COMPLEX PROBLEMS
WHICH, FOR YEARS, HAVE STOOD IN THE WAY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIALLY VIABLE WAVE
POWER TECHNOLOGY.
shaped floats which are partially
main direction of the waves, the
submerged in the water. When a
wind will also normally be directed
wave rolls in, the first float is lifted
against the narrow end of the
upwards, and then the second and
machine.
so on, until the wave subsides.
Per Resen Steenstrup’s second
The floats are each positioned at
requirement is that the wave power
the base of their own hydraulic
machine should not be too heavy,
cylinder. When a float is raised, a
thereby ruling out the production
piston in the cylinder presses oil
of the large-scale design, as heavy
into the machine’s common trans-
machines are expensive machines.
mission system with a pressure of
Wave Star fulfils this requirement.
up to 200 bar. The pressure drives
A production price which, per mega-
a hydraulic motor, which is connect-
watt, corresponds to that of the
ed to the generator, which produces
wind turbines has been calculated.
the electricity.
Thirdly, Per Resen Steenstrup has
As the machine is several wave
learnt, from his many years’ experi-
lengths long, the floats will work
ence of the production of seafloor
continuously to harness energy.
measuring equipment, that as few
parts of the machine should be in
When Per Resen Steenstrup heard
the water as possible. Equipment
about the Wave Star concept in
which is submerged in seawater
2003, he realised immediately that
is extremely expensive to pro-
it fulfilled the four requirements
duce, not to mention expensive to
which, in his opinion, a wave ma-
maintain. The Wave Star machine
chine should meet:
meets this requirement by resting
on the surface of the water on steel
The basic concept behind Wave
Firstly, the machine should be
shafts, and the only submersible
Star is fundamentally different to
storm-proofed. In the case of Wave
parts of the machine are the fibre-
many other wave power models.
Star, the machine automatically
glass floats.
The machine does not form a bar-
raises the floats up out of the water
rier against the waves, with a view
when the waves reach a certain
The final requirement is that
to harnessing all of their energy,
height. As far as the full-scale
the machine should be based on
but instead cuts in at right angles
machine is concerned this means
tried-and-tested technology, which
to the direction of the wave. In
that, in the event of wave heights
ensures a more steady operation
this way the waves run through the
of above eight metres, the floats
and faster project start-up, without
length of the machine, and their
will be raised to a safe position 20
an endless number of equipment
energy is exploited in a continuous
metres above the surface of the
tests. The Wave Star machine is
process.
water.
fundamentally based entirely on
On either side of the oblong
As the machine is positioned in
fair to say that its hydraulic system
machine there are 20 hemisphere-
such a way as to cut in against the
is somewhat innovative, with its
tried-and-tested technology. It is
WAV E STA R
7
FACTS ABOUT WAVE STAR
Wave Star Energy’s wave machine is a so-called multi
point absorber. That means a machine equipped with a
number of floats which are moved by the waves to activate
pumps, which press oil into a common transmission system, the pressure of which drives a hydraulic motor. The
motor, in turn, drives the generator of the wave machine.
In the event of a storm the floats are lifted to a safe position – on the large-scale machine they will hang 20 metres
above the surface. A sensor on the seabed ahead of the
machine measures the waves and ensures that the storm
security system is automatically activated. The floats can
also be operated via the Internet.
The 1:10 model at Nissum Bredning has 40 hemisphereshaped floats, each with a diameter of one metre. The
model has a 5.5 kilowatt generator. The large-scale model
will be equipped with floats of 10 metres in diameter and a
three megawatt generator.
The larger the machine, the larger the waves it can withstand – and the greater the depth it can stand at. A rule of
thumb says that waves can reach a height corresponding
to 75 percent of the depth of the water before they break.
The 1:10 model stands in water two metres deep. The
large-scale model is designed to stand in water 20 metres
deep.
common transmission system, but
ging is a relatively simple proce-
all components used are tried-and-
dure, as the weight of the machine
tested.
is carried by its own floats. The
machine is positioned over the steel
The critical parts of the Wave Star
shaft, and then the float arms are
machine are housed in the gen-
extended, until it is resting on the
erator casing on the bridge. The
shaft, where it is bolted fast. When
generator, computers and relays
the machine is due to be serviced
are located here under climatised
or requires repair, it is loosened and
conditions, which protects them
tugged back into land.
against damage from moisture and
sea fog. On the current 1:10 model,
As Wave Star produces electricity
the equipment is exactly the same
via 40 independent floats, there
as for the full-scale model, only the
is not a lot that can go wrong. If
generator is smaller.
one float breaks, the remaining 39
continue to generate electricity. The
A Wave Star machine is manufac-
machine can continue to generate
tured in its entirety on land, and
electricity, albeit with a reduced
then tugged out to the steel shafts
effect, with up to 75 percent of the
upon which it is to rest. The tug-
floats out of operation.
The Wave Star machine generates electricity even from
very small waves. For the 1:10 model, waves only need to
be 10 centimetres high. Calculations and tests show that
the wave machine produces energy around 90 percent of
the time, and that it will run on maximum power 30 percent of the time. Each time the machine doubles in size,
its effect becomes around 11 times greater.
The commercialisation of the Wave Star concept will
begin as soon as the 500 kW machine, which is currently
under development, has produced satisfactory results in
the North Sea. According to the plan this should be in the
course of the next three to four years.
In order to be competitive, in comparison with wind turbines, the Wave Star machine needs to reduce its price per
kilowatt hour four times. By comparison the wind turbine
industry had to reduce its prices seven times to reach the
price level at which wind turbine energy is today.
Powerful forces in play
THERE ARE MANY GOOD REASONS FOR INVESTING IN WAVE ENERGY. CONFIDENCE IN THE
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE IS HIGH, AND IT FORMS THE BASIS FOR A NEW WIND TURBINE
ADVENTURE.
In the beginning of the 1970s several wise men and a
group of professors from the Risø National Laboratory published a report on wind turbine energy. According to Peter
Frigaard, associate professor specialising in wave energy
at Aalborg University, two things were written at the time
which, seen in hindsight, are rather remarkable.
“They said that wind turbine energy would never make any
significant contribution to Danish electricity production.
And that electricity produced by wind turbines would never
become as cost-competitive as the burning of fossil fuels.
It is fair to say that they were way off the mark
with the first statement,” he says.
Wind turbine energy has grown tremendously over the past
25 years. And there is much to indicate that wave energy
is on track to do the same. According to Peter Frigaard the
greatest motivational factors for this happening at the moment are security of supply, jobs and the environment, in
this order. Today EU countries have to import 50 percent
of their energy consumption, and this is something which
needs to change.
There is a need for renewable energy sources and wind
turbine energy has already demonstrated its value. Wave
energy is notable for the fact that the electrical power is
even better. There is less fluctuation because waves last
longer than a gust of wind. There is estimated to be threefive times less fluctuation than with wind energy.
“We can also harness more energy per square kilometre of
ocean than offshore wind turbines. As the ocean’s surface
area is in danger of becoming a scarce resource due to
shipping lanes, the breeding territories of birds etc., it
would be in our interests to harness as much energy as
possible from the ocean we have. And we stand to harness
more energy from wave power, or a combination of wind
and wave power. The energy density in water is 800 to
1,000 times greater than in the air. So there is much more
energy for the taking,” says Peter Frigaard.
the wind turbines,” points out Stig Vindeløv, Chairman of
the Association for the Promotion of Wave Energy.
“When the wind blows, waves are created, and when the
wind drops, the waves continue for up to six hours. So we
do not need all that much storage, because the two energy
production methods work at different times.”
He believes that the fact that Wave Star Energy’s machine
can lift the floats up out of the water is an important
feature.
“A vital factor in wave power is whether the machines can
survive. And Wave Star’s ability to survive is considerable,”
he says and also praises the principle of using floats, no
less than 40 floats to a machine, which move up and
down.
“This is a guarantee that something will come of this.”
Wave Star’s machines will stand 10-20 kilometres out in
the ocean. They will be 10-20 metres high (scale 1:2 is 10
metres, the full-scale machine is 20 metres), and as the
view decreases by a metre per kilometre due to the curvature of the Earth, they will be practically invisible under
the horizon.
“Wave Star’s floats lie on the surface of the water. Compared to offshore wind turbines, you can’t see them. And
the impact on the ocean environment is not serious. Quite
the contrary. When birds are migrating they can rest there,
and if there are areas of the ocean which are out of bounds
to fishing vessels, birds will be able to establish breeding
territories around the wave power machines,” says Stig
Vindeløv and adds:
“We like to think of ourselves at Wave Star as proficient
and focused people. And this is, without a doubt, a promising concept, which we firmly believe is accomplishable.
Extremely promising and incredibly innovative. Truly an
adventure in the making.”
“Another factor, in wave energy’s favour, is that it supplements wind turbine energy by working at different times to
WAVE POTENTIAL
Wave power is the most concentrated
form of renewable energy we know
of. Scientists estimate that if just 0.2
percent of the oceans’ energy was
exploited, it could provide electricity for
the entire World.
There is a lot less fluctuation with wave
power than with other renewable en-
ergy sources, and conveniently enough
the seasonal changes go hand-in-hand
with the consumption of electricity in
Western Europe.
Over the past five years there has
been a worldwide boom in wave power
activity. Developers in many different
countries have either installed or are
planning to install full-scale prototypes
for a sum of around 70 million euro.
The market potential for wave power
machines has been estimated by the
World Energy Council to be close on
500 billion dollars.
Wave Star Energy . Maglemosevej 61 . 2920 Charlottenlund . Denmark . E: [email protected] . W: www.wavestarenergy.com