Directory:AquaBuOY
From PESWiki
See animation (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/buoy_animation.php)
Source: AquaEnergyGroup.com (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/converter.php)
The AquaBuOY technology, which has been independently evaluated and found commercially viable, has potential to generate electricity at a cost that is competitive with onshore and offshore wind farms and some fossil fuels, in the near to mid-term.
About
Ownership
AquaEnergy Group Ltd. commenced the project, which was bought out by Finavera Renewables in June, 2006. [1] (http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=AA96D429CEC52D1D6561A1AE663DCD04?id=45322)
Official Website
- http://finavera.com/
- Company (http://finavera.com/en/company)
- Wind Projects (http://finavera.com/en/wind)
- Wave Projects (http://finavera.com/en/wave)
- Wave Technology (http://finavera.com/en/wavetech)
- Press Room (http://finavera.com/en/press)
Former Website Links
Access archive versions at http://archive.org
- http://www.aquaenergygroup.com/
- Company (http://aquaenergygroup.com/company/index.php)
- Technology (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/index.php)
- Projects (http://aquaenergygroup.com/projects/index.php)
- Press Room (http://aquaenergygroup.com/news/index.php)
Patents
held
AquaEnergy’s Offshore Plants
quoting from http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/index.php
AquaEnergy’s offshore plants consist of patented wave energy converters that are based on proven, survivable, buoy technology. Clusters of these small, modular devices, called AquaBuOYs, are moored several miles offshore where the wave resource is the greatest. The power plants are scalable from hundreds of kilowatts to hundreds of megawatts. They are suitable for distributed generation to coastal communities, or central generation for large population centers.
A cluster or array of AquaBuOYs would have a low silhouette in the water. Located several miles offshore, the power plant arrays would be no more noticeable than a small fleet of fishing boats.
How it Works
See animation (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/buoy_animation.php) of image shown in upper right hand corner of this page.
Energy transfer takes place by converting the vertical component of wave kinetic energy into pressurized seawater by means of two-stroke hose pumps. Pressurized seawater is directed into a conversion system consisting of a turbine driving an electrical generator. The power is transmitted to shore by means of an undersea transmission line.
Quoting from http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/converter.php'
The AquaBuOY Consists of Four Elements:
- Buoy
- Acceleration tube
- Piston
- Hose-Pump
- The Acceleration Tube and Piston
- The acceleration tube is a vertical, hollow cylinder rigidly mounted under the body of the buoy. The tube is open at both ends to allow unimpeded entry and exit of seawater in either direction. Positioned at the midpoint of the acceleration tube is the piston, a broad, neutrally buoyant disk. When the buoy is at rest, the piston is held at the midpoint by the balanced tension of two hose pumps that are attached to opposite sides of the piston and extend to the top and bottom of the acceleration tube, respectively.
- The Hose-Pump
- The hose-pump is a steel reinforced rubber hose whose internal volume is reduced when the hose is stretched, thereby acting as a pump. The pressurized sea water is subsequently expelled into a high-pressure accumulator, and in turn fed to a turbine which drives a generator. Generated electricity is brought to shore via a standard submarine cable.
- Power Take Off System
- These three elements, the acceleration tube, the piston, and the hose pumps constitute the Power Take Off system (PTO).
Modular / Scalable
Quoting from http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/system.php
An AquaEnergy Power Plant is modular and can be scaled from a small cluster of AquaBuOYs to hundreds of buoys combined into arrays of desired power output from a few hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts. AquaEnergy Power Plants are suitable for distributed generation to coastal communities or central generation for large population centers.
Proven Technology
All system components have been used and proven in the marine environment around the world for decades. [2] (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/system.php)
AquaEnergy’s components have been ocean tested by the original developers and by the offshore oil industry. [3] (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/advantages.php)
Survivability
Any offshore system must survive the harsh ocean environment. The AquaBuOY array system consists of small modular devices that are similar to navigational buoys that have been known to have survived for many decades. During the recent Tsunami disaster, watercraft that had been offshore several miles survived by riding atop the killer wave just as an AquaBuOY array would have. Any shore-based system would have suffered catastrophic damage. Further, oil spills which seem to occur with some regularity, would not hamper the operation of AquaBuOY's planned offshore system, where as onshore systems would be crippled and require costly cleanup. [4] (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/advantages.php)
Maximized Power Output
AquaBuOYs are designed to maximize power output at moderate wave conditions vs. extreme wave intensities. This avoids costly over-design that would capture the extreme spikes in wave intensities caused by storms. [5] (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/advantages.php)
Maintenance
Maintenance and replacement cycles are designed to extend the life of the system to beyond twenty years. [6] (http://aquaenergygroup.com/technology/advantages.php)
Videos
(2:21 minutes)
- Finavera Renewables' AquaBuOY - (YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r89xQxZsaN8); August 2007)
Stage of Development
Three installations under way, and three more planned. More such launchings planned.
According to http://www.aquaenergygroup.com, AquaBuOY is now undergoing accelerated commercialization that will result in the launch of a commercial prototype during the first half of 2006. This prototype will feature:
- A unique hose-pump power take-off system that uses only water as its hydraulic liquid
- A point absorbing omni-directional wave energy converter
- A non-toxic, environmentally friendly material composition that meets the Kyoto Protocol Standards
- A low riding silhouette that conforms to aesthetic sensitivities
- An offshore power plant configuration that avoids interference with marine traffic and fishing
- An economic alternative to fossil fuel power plants
- A green energy power plant with construction and components supplied locally
Wave energy projects presently under development:
- Figuera da Foz (Portugal), planned to be installed in 2008
- Makah Bay (Washington), planned to be installed in 2009
- Ucluelet (British Columbia), planned to be installed in 2010
These three will have a combined power generation potential of 200 MW when at full capacity.
Profile: Finavera Renewables, Inc.
Finavera Renewables is a publicly traded company (TSX-V: FVR) dedicated to the development of renewable energy resources and technologies.
Finavera Renewables' objective is to become a major renewable and green energy producer by developing and operating its assets in the wind and wave energy sectors. In addition, Finavera Renewables is positioning itself to become a developer and supplier of renewable energy innovation through the acquisition of interests in key proprietary technologies.
In the News
- Google News > Aquabuoy (http://news.google.com/news?q=aquabuoy)
- Federal approval for Wash. wave power (http://media.cleantech.com/2232/finavera-gets-federal-approval-for-washington-wave-power) - Finavera Renewables announced that it received federal approval for a Washington state wave power project, the first for a wave, tidal or current energy project in the country. The Makah Bay Offshore Wave Pilot Project will consist of four 250 kilowatt wave energy conversion buoys and an associated mooring-anchoring and electrical connection system. (Cleantech; Dec. 21, 2007)
- Nation's first wave energy power purchase (http://media.cleantech.com/2215/pg-e-to-ride-the-waves-with-finavera) - Finavera Renewables made a deal to sell wave power to San Francisco's Pacific Gas & Electric, the first in the U.S. The deal is for a 2 megawatt AquaBuOY project off the Northern California coast, for power delivery (http://media.cleantech.com/2232/finavera-gets-federal-approval-for-washington-wave-power) starting in 2012. An estimated 8,000 MW of wave energy could be captured off the California coastline. (Cleantech; Dec. 18, 2007)
- AquaBuOY 2.0 Wave Energy Converter Successfully Deployed (http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/09/finavera-renewa.html) - Finavera Renewables has deployed and commissioned the AquaBuOY 2.0 wave energy converter off the coast of Newport, Oregon. This marks the first installation of a wave energy converter of this scale off the west coast of North America and moves the company closer to achieving its goal of commercial electricity generation from ocean waves by 2010. (Green Car Congress; Sep. 8, 2007)
- AquaBuOY Wave Energy Technology Advances (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46165&src=rss) - A key part of AquaEnergy's AquaBuOY technology, the Hose-Pump Validation Project, is an offshore wave energy converter whose successful completion marks the next step in its commercialization. (Renewable Energy Access; Oct. 6, 2006)
- Renewable Energy Company to Propel Wave Energy (http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=AA96D429CEC52D1D6561A1AE663DCD04?id=45322) - The AquaBuOY technology, which has been independently evaluated and found commercially viable, has potential to generate electricity at a cost that is competitive with onshore and offshore wind farms and some fossil fuels, in the near to mid-term. (RenewableEnergyAccess; June 30, 2006)
Comments
See Discussion page
Huge potential
New Energy Congress member, Adrian Akau, posted the following comment on July 1, 2006.
- I think Jason Bak has the right idea when he says that there is great potential in extracting energy using this method. In studying about waves, they may be generated by storms thousands of miles away and transmitted across the ocean with little loss of power. The energy of the wave remains in concentrated form until it strikes the shores of a land mass.
- I can envision thousands of miles of shore lines with these devices anchored safely in locations where wave action is at a maximum.
Additional Reading
- Google > Aquabuoy (http://www.google.com/search?q=aquabuoy)
Contact
http://aquaenergygroup.com/company/contact.php
AquaEnergy Group, Ltd.
P.O. Box 1276
Mercer Island, WA 98040
USA
Phone: +1 (425) 430-7924
Fax: +1 (425) 988-1977
Web: http://www.aquaenergygroup.com
AquaEnergy Development UK, Ltd.
London, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 20 8123 7093
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7900 3740
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