Wave Swell Energy’s UniWave 200 is a sea platform that uses an artificial blowhole formation to create air pressure changes that drive a turbine and feed energy back to shore.The OWC is an artificial blowhole consisting of a chamber that is open underneath the waterline.
source.image: Wave Swell Energy
As waves pass the OWC, the water rises and falls inside, forcing the air to pass by a turbine at the top of the chamber. This turbine generates electricity.
Previous OWC technologies have all been bidirectional. The WSE technology, however, operates unidirectionally. This results in the WSE turbine being simpler, more robust and reliable, and exhibiting a higher energy conversion efficiency.
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The only moving parts in the technology are the turbine and bespoke valves, all of which are well above the water line. There are no moving parts in or below the water.
According to its creators, the system is more efficient than devices that use only surface or bottom energy. While its unidirectional generation allows the manufacture of simpler, more durable and cheaper turbines. The company built a 200-kilowatt prototype, and it wrapped up a full year of testing off Australia’s King Island, reporting excellent results that exceeded the company’s expectations.
