The largest navy base in Australia is about to become a home for the world’s first demonstration wave energy project, writes Science Network Western Australia.
Namely, Australian Department of Defence and Carnegie Wave Energy Limited have signed an agreement for Perth Wave Energy Project on Garden Island, the base of HMAS Stirling, Australia’s largest naval facility.
The 2 MW plant will provide 25% of power for the navy base.
Carnegie chief operating officer Greg Allen said:
“We’re using the wave force to push down against the buoyancy, and as the buoy moves down, the seabed-mounted wave activated pump drops and draws fluid [water and a few additives] in, until the motion of water molecules in the wave reverses and wants to go back up.
“The buoy then moves up and pulls on the pump, so it’s just dropping, drawing fluid in, pulling up and pushing fluid out in a closed loop.
“Essentially the energy that we get is in the form of pressurised fluid that we pump ashore via a subsea pipeline to generate electricity onshore.”
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff, September 26, 2012; Image: Carnegie Wave Energy