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A Portuguese company is looking for partners for a joint venture agreement or financial agreement for take to the commercialization stage a innovative wave energy concept unit that converts the sea waves energy in electricity.

Country of Origin: Portugal
Reference Number: TOPT20201021001
Publication Date: 21 October 2020

Summary

A Portuguese SME has developed a specific and innovative unit that uses sea waves energy for electricity. It can be installed in ports or jetties and be designed for the protection of coastal erosion or hydrogen production. To develop further its converter concept the SME is seeking for partners for the demonstration and improvement of the unit in a simulation environment, or interested in financial or joint venture agreement with energy sector companies to implement the first pilots in the sea.

Description

This is a Portuguese SME with more than 15 years’ experience in civil engineering, health, safety and environment and implementation of energy efficiency solutions.
This equipment is a unit that uses the energy of sea waves and converts it in electricity.
The unit can operate on jetties, marinas and other maritime infrastructures, taking advantage of wave energy due to the difference in height of the free surfaces of two tanks implanted in a jetty, one located on the sea side and the other on the land side using a turbine to produce electricity. The use and transformation of energy will be similar to that of tidal mills and mini hydro plants.
It works with a new concept of harnessing wave energy profiting from the kinetic energy and wave potential and using the maximum wave height. Its operation is independent of the tides.
The unit uses a mini-hydro turbine with a continuous turbine supply, independent of the wave cycle and size.
It can use existing maritime infrastructures and being a modular system, it can use one or more monoblock turbines using little space on the dock. Multiple units can work in parallel.
The electromechanical equipment is installed in a protected area and therefore there is no equipment or moving parts in direct contact with the waves.
It involves low installation costs as well as those concerning ancillary works and the ones related to connection to the electricity grid. It is possible the local use of the energy produced and the kW produced is considered green kW. In periods of higher energy production, it can be used for other purposes, namely hydrogen production and battery charging.
The system minimizes the impact on the receiving environment, with reduced visual impact and does not contribute to any aquatic environment impact. Being a clean energy production unit it has little relevant sound impact and a positive impact on populations.
These units fight coastal erosion, allow the exploitation of aquacultures in the open sea / production of micro algae and in parallel can be used for the production of hydrogen.
The company has all pre-testing works for the verification of the concept and resistance in extreme conditions, tested in wave channel, and is seeking to move this to a next level with self-financing partners, who could contribute to demonstration of the technology with a simulation study over a research or technical cooperation agreement. Ideal partners should have expertise in marine technology and inshore structures. The PT company also looks for investors over financial agreement and is open to form joint ventures with energy sector companies for pilot unit in the marine environment in real conditions.
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Advantages and Innovations

Main advantages of the system:
Regarding the new concept of harnessing wave energy for electricity production
o Optimization of the use of kinetic energy and wave potential
o Use of the maximum wave height regardless of its height
o Independence of the cyclical nature of the waves
o It uses a mini-hydro turbine
o Continuous turbine supply (independent of the wave cycle and dimension)
o Hydrogen production and storage system can be associated.
o Can be designed for coastal erosion protection
o Can be designed for aquaculture or microalgae production
• Regarding the use of maritime infrastructure
o Monetization of existing infrastructures
o Using multiple units in parallel
o Modular system, using one or more turbines
o Monoblock turbines (creation of modular turbines), with little space on the dock
o Electromechanical equipment installed in a protected area
o No equipment or moving parts in direct contact with the waves

Regarding the cost of produced kW
o Low installation costs
o Low costs concerning ancillary works
o Low costs related to connection to the electricity grid once the unit will be installed in a port or jetty
o Possibility of local use of the energy produced
o kW produced is considered green kW

Regarding environmental impacts
o Minimizing the impact on the receiving environment
o Reduced visual impact
o No impact on the aquatic environment
o Little relevant sound impact
o Positive impact on populations

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Requested partner

This company is looking for industrial partners wanting to establish a joint venture agreement. The expertise of the partners should contribute to lead the product - unit that converts in electricity the sea waves energy - to the commercialization stage. Potential partners are existing players in energy industry and willing to go into wave energy business.  
Portuguese company is also looking for investors over financial agreement that can help with costs associated with developing the concept further, proving the technical feasibility and the commercial viability. The investment should cover the costs of testing and demonstration phases in sea environment.

Cooperation offer is closed for requests