Olivia Cavallaro Science 08.04.2022 06:Aug AM EDT

Wave Swell's $12 Million Wave-based Energy Generator Successfully Powers Australian Homes for a Year

For the first time in Australian history, the power of waves has been successfully harnessed and converted to electricity to power many homes.

The race to use renewable energy sources like the sun, wind, and water has become more intense as efforts to adopt clean energy sources have increased in the last few years. In Australia, a wave-based energy generator designed by a company called Wave Swell has successfully generated energy from ocean waves to power many homes.

Wave Swell Energy Ltd (WSE) is an unlisted public company in Australia that specializes in developing a world leading proprietary technology that effectively converts wave energy to electrical energy. The unique design of the company's wave-based energy generator does not use any moving parts in the ocean, does not use any oil or other contaminants, and can be re-floated or towed to another location.

Wave Swell Sees Success in King Island Deployment

A trial of Wave Swell's wave-based energy generator called UniWave200 on the coast of King Island in Bass Strait successfully generated power for the island's local energy grid for 12 months now, ABC News Australia reported. Stephanie Thornton from Australian Ocean Energy Group remarked that it was the first time a project such as this had successfully generated electricity for the customer, proving to scientists that ocean energy actually works.

King Island mayor Julie Arnold marveled at the renewable energy source, underscoring how "more and more importance is being placed on environmentally sustainable ways to provide power." Wave Swell Energy CEO Paul Geason agreed, expressing excitement over the success of this trial deployment.

Geason explained that the primary goal was to generate electricity from the waves of the southern ocean that is being captured by the unit. He described it as "very high quality" electricity that has even been accepted by Hydro Tasmania as suitable for King Island's grid.

How Does the Design of the UniWave200 Contribute to Its Success?

In the US, the annual energy potential of waves opff the coast is about 2.64 trillion kilowatt-hours or 66% of the country's annual power generation, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Sea waves are abundant throughout the year, which makes it another great source of renewable energy, but the technology needed to harness it is not yet as readily available as solar panels are.

According to Interesting Engineering, where other wave generators failed, the UniWave200 generator found success because of its blowhole design. The generator, which cost up to $12 million to design and build, was extensively tested at the Australian Maritime College.

The UniWave200 generator sits on the sea bed and features an opening on one side to allow waves to move in and out of the chamber. Upon entering a column, the waves rise and fall, pushing air into a turbine on top of the generator assembly, which then moves to generate power.

The UniWave200 generator can generate up to 200kW at its peak, enough to power up to 200 homes. It was connected on a trial basis in the Bass Strait last year and since then has been generating power for more than 12 months.

Geason reported that the generator achieved a 48% conversion rate, which he described as "encouraging" and even higher than other renewable energy technologies. Wave Swell's next steps involve finding ways to commercialize its technology and build the next iteration of UniWave200, which is expected to generate up to five times as much energy than this first model and can be used in any coastline in the world.