Second Wave Farm for Portugal?

July 30, 2006 – Vol.11 No.19

SECOND WAVE ENERGY FARM FOR PORTUGAL?

Under construction off the coast of Portugal is what is expected to be the first phase of the AguÁadoura Wave Farm. When complete it will generate 2.25 megawatts of power using three 750-kilowatt Pelamis P1A wave energy converters from Ocean Power Delivery of Scotland. AguÁadoura is expected to be completed sometime this summer.

Now with an announcement from Finavera Renewables of Dublin, Ireland and its subsidiary the AquaEnergy Group of Vancouver, Canada, the three Pelamis turbines might be joined by a small fleet of AquabuOY wave energy converters for a combined 2 megawatts of power.

With a contribution of EUR 1.37 million ($1.76 million) from the European Commission, development of the project could get under way. The 2-megawatt project, like the Ocean Power Delivery project, is considered only the first phase. Finavera and subsidiary AquaEnergy envision a 100-megawatt project that could power 60,000 Portuguese homes.

The project would be built in 200 feet of water (60 meters) 6 miles (10 kilometers) from shore midway between Lisbon and Porto. According to Finavera, waves that batter the coast of Portugal could provide the nation with 20 percent of its power. Unlike offshore wind turbines, wave energy converters can barely be seen from shore, if at all.

AquabuOYs utilize the up and down motion of waves to pump sea water through a turbine to generate power. The devices are connected to shore via an undersea cable.

AquaEnergy is developing a one-megawatt wave powerplant for waters off the coast of Washington State. Finavera also has 12 wind projects for up to 1500 megawatts of power under various stages of development in British Columbia and another 180 megawatts of wind in Ireland.

Visit Ocean Power Delivery at http://www.oceanpd.com/ , Finavera at http://www.finavera.com/renewables/default.asp and AquaEnergy at http://www.aquaenergygroup.com/