Candido, J

Collins, KM

Fontana, M

Gardner, FE

Gato, LM

Sarmento, A

The H2020 funded WETFEET project started
from the in-depth understanding of the main constraints
that have been slowing down the development of wave
energy to propose, study and develop a set of technology
solutions (‘breakthroughs’) to address these constraints.
These breakthroughs were studied having as a reference
two wave energy concepts: the OWC (Oscillating Water
Column) and the Symphony. The main avenues of research
in the project were: 1) Survivability breakthrough via
device submergence under storm conditions; 2) O&M
(operation and maintenance) breakthrough via continuous
submergence and adaption of components and strategies;
3) PTO (power take-off) breakthrough via the development
of new materials for submerged polymeric PTO and the
analysis and development of innovative electro-mechanic
solutions; 4) Array breakthrough via sharing of mooring
and electrical connections between nearby devices, as well
as integral approach to device interaction and compact
aggregates; 5) Increased device performance via the
practical implementation and functionality of a negative
spring for an OWC. The paper summarizes the scope of the
project and the comprehensive methodological framework
that was developed for the evaluation of the potential
benefits of the breakthroughs, relying on the comparison
with reference cases with no integration of breakthroughs.
The main results and conclusions are presented. In general,
the implementation of the breakthroughs revealed
improvements in the LCOE (levelized cost of energy – the
main metrics considered in the methodology). Shared
moorings shown the most promising results, with LCOE
reductions in the order of 20-25%

Collins, KM::0000-0002-7728-5441

Plymouth Electronic Archive and Research Library

The WETFEET project - A disruptive approach to wave energy

https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/10026.1/16418/1/EWTEC2019%20-%20WETFEET%20paper.pdf

The WETFEET project - A disruptive approach to wave energy

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Plymouth Electronic Archive and Research Library