Ocean energy can be said to be inexhaustible. If we can make good use of this huge energy source, it will benefit overall power supply. Now Israel has successfully installed its first wave energy buoy.
Ocean energy includes wave energy, tidal energy, ocean temperature differential energy, etc. Different energy sources can be selected according to different geographical advantages and then there are hundreds of types of marine energy equipment. The wave energy system of Eco Wave Power in Sweden is mainly located in breakwaters or port side. The buoys are fixed on the shore through hydraulic machinery and support structures. When the sea level rises and falls, the buoys will also rise and fall, converting wave energy into fluid pressure, and finally generating electricity through a rotating generator.
According to the team's design, only the buoy and the piston will touch sea water. The hydraulic equipment, supports, and generators are all in a container onshore. Compared with other wave energy equipment, there are many places where solar panels can be installed. EWP announced a few days ago that it has installed a wave energy buoy in the Israeli port of Jaffa and it is expected that a total of 10 groups will be installed eventually.
This is EWP's second grid-connected wave energy system. The company also conducted pilot tests in the Port of Jaffa. After a lot of practical tests and adjustments since 2014, the first wave energy power plant was officially opened in Gibraltar in 2016, with an initial capacity of 100kw, which hopefully can be expanded to 5MW eventually.
In August 2019, EWP and energy company EDF Renewables established a new company, EWP EDF One, and launched another 100kw wave energy project in Israel. CEO Inna Braverman said that the first pontoon has been installed already and illustrates the progress of Israel's first grid-connected array.
On the other side of the world, South Korea has also made new progress in its tidal energy industry. In 2011, South Korea built the world's largest and most expensive tidal weir tidal power station. The installed capacity of the Sihwaho tidal power plant is as high as 254MW. According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates, South Korea spent US$298 million on the project and when the construction cost was multiplied by the capacity of the installation, the result was $117 per KWh with a power generation cost of 2 cents.
This year, the Sihwaho power plant will further develop a water purification system and expand green energy facilities, adding solar photovoltaic and wind power generation, etc., and plans to increase annual power generation to 680GWh.
（Image：Eco Wave Power）