For the first time in Australia’s history, a wave energy converter trial has successfully generated energy from the chaotic and wild ocean waves to power homes.
For years, companies around the world have tried to harness the power of the ocean, with varying degrees of success.
“This is really the first project that has successfully generated electricity for a customer, and that goes to prove that ocean energy can work,” Stephanie Thornton from Australian Ocean Energy Group said.
Sitting off the King Island coast in Bass Strait, the unit — made by Melbourne company Wave Swell Energy — has been generating power for the island’s local energy grid for the past year.
“It’s providing power for the island, it’s renewable, it’s a method that could be used in other places so we’re very happy to be pioneering it.
“We’re a community that does look at our environment every day, certainly with a lot of what’s going on around the world, I think more and more importance is being placed on environmentally sustainable ways to provide power.”
The company said under the right wave conditions the UniWave200 can make enough energy for 200 homes.
“The conversion rates that we’ve been able to achieve in terms of the amount of electricity we are able to extract from the wave energy that comes into the unit is very high,” Mr Geason said.
“On average, we’ve been able to achieve conversion rates of 48 per cent, so 48 per cent of the energy that comes in, in the wave, is then exported onto the grid on King Island.
“That rate is very encouraging and in fact is higher than other renewable energy technologies.”
As defined by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, wave energy is generated by converting the energy within ocean waves into electricity.
Tidal energy, however, comes in two forms, both of which generate electricity.
Tidal range technologies harvest the potential energy created by the height difference between high and low tides, and tidal stream technologies capture the kinetic energy of currents flowing in and out of tidal areas, such as seashores.
“We have something to showcase that works and now we can build on that and build that customer demand that we’re looking for,” said Stephanie Thornton from the Australian Ocean Energy Group.
Wave Swell said it would “love” to see another unit operating off the Australian coastline.
“Given we are an emerging technology, the very obvious market for us to pursue is the Australian market,” Mr Geason said.
“The Australian oceans have some of the best waves in the world, and waves that are well located to grid access, and to electricity demand, many of us live on the coastline.”
But Mr Geason said more support for the industry was needed.
“Solar and wind have received substantial government support … wave is now in that position, it needs policy support and funding, that’s vital for the industry taking its next steps,” he said.
Experts in the field have said the stigma around wave energy converters failing also needed to change for the sector to move forward.
“Every technology in the world has had failures, but that’s really part of experimenting and learning from it and reinventing and growing, so that’s the challenge,” Ms Arnold said.
“In our industry, people remember the ones that didn’t work, and think, ‘Oh well that’s ocean energy, so it can’t possibly be successful’, when in fact that’s not true and this unit has proven that.