Table of Contents
How does the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter?
The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter is a semi-submerged structure composed of cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pump high-pressure fluid through hydraulic motors via smoothing accumulators.
How does the Pelamis device work?
The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter was a technology that used the motion of ocean surface waves to create electricity. The machine was made up of connected sections which flex and bend as waves pass; it is this motion which is used to generate electricity.
What is wave energy conversion?
WECDs are mechanical devices that are employed in harvesting the kinetic energy of ocean surface waves so as to generate electric power. From: Sustainable Hydropower in West Africa, 2018.
What is the Pelamis wave energy converter?
The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter is the result of many years of engineering development by Pelamis Wave Power. It was the world’s first commercial scale machine to generate electricity to the grid from offshore wave energy and the first to be used commercially (1).
How does the Pelamis work?
The Pelamis is an attenuating wave energy converter. The machine responds to the curvature of the waves (their shape) rather than the wave height. As waves can only reach a certain curvature before naturally breaking, this limits the range of motion through which the machine must move but maintains large motion at the joints in small waves.
What is the Pelamis prototype machine?
The Pelamis Prototype machine at EMEC, Orkney, Scotland, 2007. Pelamis Wave Power tested their first full-scale prototype at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland between 2004 and 2007. The machine, which was rated at 750 kW, was the world’s first offshore wave power machine to generate electricity into the grid system.
Where are the optimal locations for the Pelamis wave energy device?
Optimal locations for the Pelamis wave energy device are circled on the map. Note that offshore of the United States East Coast there is potential for wave power.