BABET AND ALINE TESTED C4-WEC AT THE AGUÇADOURA SITE IN PORTUGAL

October 26, 2023

According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Babet and Aline storms brought strong winds and heavy rains to Portugal.

Wave energy converters are designed to have specific motions under wave loading, so that, they limit unwanted motions to avoid overloading. Extreme events can place unnecessary strains on the mooring system as well. In August 2023, CorPower Ocean deployed its first commercial scale device at the Aguçadoura site in northern Portugal.

Related: CorPower Ocean Deploys C4—Wave Energy Converter

How does CorPower C4 keep up with the storms?

CorPower Ocean says: “The commercial-scale wave energy converter (C4), operates reliably through Babet and Aline storms. The C4’s unique Survival Mode feature is enabled by a frequency detuning principle. In big storm waves, the C4 exhibits almost no response to the incoming wave power. This limits the loading on the structure to a similar level to regular operation in moderate ocean conditions”.

CorPower Ocean CEO Mr. Patrik Möller says: “This was our most robust test so far in terms of storm survivability. We are happy to report that the device operated as intended with minimum motion and loads, despite being battered by waves up to 16 meters. The C4 was fully submersed under wave peaks on a regular basis. Last week’s operation has provided solid verification of the C4’s ability to endure extreme ocean conditions (23 October 2023).”

Mr. Möller added: “The unique storm survivability mode as demonstrated by the C4 is one of the most important innovations that CorPower Ocean has brought to wave energy. By designing devices that tune themselves to the ocean conditions, the combination of robust storm protection can be combined with strongly amplified motion and power generation in regular ocean conditions. We believe this feature, which can be compared to wind turbines pitching the blades to avoid overloading in storms, is key to make wave energy a reliable and competitive energy source (23 October 2023).”