Coral Reef wisdom to capture Wave Energy

Project Information

ARRECIFE

Grant agreement ID: 807148

DOI

10.3030/807148

Project closed

EC signature date 25 January 2018

Start date 1 February 2018

End date 31 May 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ARRECIFE ENERGY SYSTEMS SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARRECIFE (Coral Reef wisdom to capture Wave Energy)

Reporting period: 2018-02-01 to 2018-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Arrecife provides a cost-effective renewable energy solution for off-grid locations and offshore wind farms. Our technology captures waves’ power and transforms it into electricity through a wave energy converters’ (WEC) technology. Potential clients include:
Offshore wind farms suffer from variability on their production. Wind turbines don’t produce electricity around 60% of the time. Arrecife’s device can increase the electricity production and thus their income, expediting the payback of the high investment done on the grid infrastructure.
Offshore oil & gas platforms: rely on diesel generators, which require periodic fuel procurement at fluctuating prices and entail carbon emissions. Through combined multi-use platforms, Arrecife offers a continuous onsite, low-cost, carbon-free energy source to safeguard cost structure stability and thus the business profitability. There are over 1,500 oil and gas rigs worldwide including target multinationals.
Islands and remote communities: currently resort to unreliable or almost unaffordable energy. Thus, our system would greatly impact their way of living.
This unique technology means an alternative solution for renewable energy production to minimise climate change and green gases production.
Our next objective is to design, manufacture and test a full-scale system to generate electricity from the waves in a cost-efficient way, creating a new industry, jobs and a new alternative for green energy.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have conducted a pilot study and could demonstrate that the system works offshore producing electricity, a simple anchor mooring worked correctly, the system is oriented towards the waves automatically, turbines rotate also in survival mode and the survival system avoided the impact of high waves.
We are currently collaborating with three other companies to design a full-scale prototype, of around 60kW. The idea is to prove the technology and also get a final version of a system for small grid applications.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Concerning to our progress, during the real tests with a full-scale prototype we expect to improve in several aspects: decreasing the manufacturing costs; improvements in the manufacturing process and designing of the structure, turbines, electric system, immersion system by a PLC system, control and data via GPS, mix of materials; increasing polymer materials avoiding the corrosion; upgrades on the technology (R&D) considering the influence on the patent; electric generation studies; considering the different sizes of the waves and the position of the turbines; studies in the field of corrosion and fouling.
Wave energy is characterized as a clean and environmentally friendly technology, and this is one of the main benefits that makes it such an attractive and promising energy supply solution. The main social and environmental benefits from the introduction of wave energy in an area, such as CO2 emissions and fossil fuels imports reduction, creation of new job positions, and regional development. In addition, thanks to different studies, we know that the environmental concerns resulting from wave farms, such as noise, visual impacts, and a possible disturbance of the wildlife are low.
Another very interesting issue that is of first priority when examining wave power projects is their social acceptance and public attitude. Methods for reliable impacts assessment, mitigation measures, and future trends in the impacts assessment and their mitigation are also being discussed.

Arrecife first prototype

Arrecife prototype real condition test